ARD Shenanigans
by GLaDOS-01
Summary: This is a collection of vignettes and things you didn't see in the main story, A Reality's Difference. Plenty of shenanigans and fluff to be had!
1. Makeup And Stories

**Disclaimer: You know what goes here, eh?**

**A/N: Let's get this non-main story related collection of vignettes and such started, eh?**

"Keep away, demon!" Raegas' voice sounded desperately from her room, startling Shepard. She had been going down to wake her up and get breakfast, but it seemed she already was.

A loud crash sounded from her room and a heavy thump, soon after. Shepard went to the other side of the door, trying to find out what was going on, but it was locked- she couldn't get through.

"Nnnhh…!" the loud groan of pain was muffled, but it was definitely Raegas'. What was going on in there? "You didn't have to stake me to the ground!" her voice growled, pain evident in the tone. Stake? Who else was in there?

Another crash, a grunt of pain and another thump.

Shepard tried to override the door, but she wasn't the best at hacking. As a shot rang out, Shepard's blood rammed through her system as adrenaline kicked in, causing her hands to shake.

"You are going to cooperate even if it means by force!" a duo-toned, Bloodrage voice growled in annoyance, only making Shepard's anxiety increase. She could hear the growls of Ulaeviel as well, but they weren't offensive- they were defensive… Ciria?

"I can deal with pain just fine! You will not force me into anything!" Raegas' defiant voice was hoarser than it should've been, but Shepard couldn't help but cheer for her on the inside. She had to get in there.

"Really? We wouldn't want anything to happen to Shepard, now would we?" another duo voice cooed darkly, sending a chill down Shepard's spine. What was going on? There was a silence, most likely as they stared each other down.

"You wouldn't dare." Raegas' voice growled, her anger making her voice slightly duo-toned.

"Are you really willing to risk her safety, dear, sweet, Raegas?" a third duo-toned voice cooed. Shepard's heart was beating a mile a minute; she needed a grenade. There was a small silence where only heavy breathing could be heard.

"No. No, I'm not." Raegas' defeated voice sounded clearly in Shepard's mind, repeating over and over as the attacker's' voices cheered in celebration. The sound of metal on metal could be heard, then a grunt of pain, followed by another. They must've taken out the stakes holding Raegas to the ground. Come on, Raegas, fight back! Shepard's mind screamed as she continued to try and hack into the lock.

It was silent afterwards, save for occasional grunts or whines coming from Ciria. Shepard gave up on the impossible lock, knowing one of the siblings used one of their own advanced codes, and slid down the wall, defeated. Her heart ached in her chest as she kept herself from freaking out. She was scared to death Raegas wouldn't be alright.

After what seemed like forever, a groan escaped the room. "Now, was that so bad?" Ayldrik's normalized voice asked, triumph in his tone.

"Go make out with Ashley!" Raegas snapped, obviously displeased. A few chuckles answered her, and, seconds later, the door opened to reveal the three younger siblings of Raegas. Their Ulaeviel weren't with them, so they were most likely with the others. Shepard stood quickly and ignored their smirks as she rushed into the utterly destroyed room, straight to Raegas who was on the floor. Ciria blocked Shepard's view of her face, but as she drew closer, Ciria moved away so she could see.

The breathtaking sight of Raegas literally struck Shepard speechless.

Raegas opened her eyes to see Shepard and pulled herself to sit up. She blushed lightly and looked at the ground, rubbing her hands free of the blood that had gotten all over them. Shepard knelt down and pulled Raegas into her, taking her hands. She wiped her hands clean gently, thankful for Raegas' quick healing, and relaxed against a desk as she did so.

"You heard all of that, didn't you?" Raegas asked, sounding hopeful that Shepard hadn't heard. She smiled to herself and kissed her forehead, finishing with cleaning Raegas' hands. "That's a yes…" she muttered, her voice conflicted.

"I'm almost glad I couldn't get through the door. Otherwise, I'd never have been able to see you wearing makeup." Shepard said softly, holding Raegas close. "But why were you making such a fuss about it?" Shepard wondered, furrowing her brows a bit.

"I don't like having three siblings in a Bloodrage get so close to my eyes." She answered, although Shepard knew she was just shy about it.

After a few minutes of cuddling, Shepard stood, pulling Raegas up with her. She smiled at the more-than-gorgeous Vertoakan in front of her and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her body into hers.

"You're breathtaking." She said simply, pulling Raegas in for a soft kiss. Raegas responded in kind, and cupped Shepard's cheek in her palm, caressing it gently with her thumb, her other hand plunging into Shepard's hair. Shepard loved it when Raegas did that.

Once they parted for air, Shepard took Raegas' hand and led her to the elevator. Ciria was at Raegas' side as she always was, looking goofily happy. They rode up to the second deck and walked up the stairs, heading for the airlock so they could leave.

As they walked along, they talked of funny stories from past Normandy days, or even from their lives before. Shepard loved listening to Raegas' stories of before everything that happened, her beautiful voice painting scenes for her mind's eyes easily.

As they reached the presidium, Raegas chuckled to herself, catching Shepard's attention. The Commander had just finished a story of her academy days, but it wasn't exactly funny, so the chuckle was odd. Also, Raegas rarely laughed at all, so Shepard was fairly curious.

"What is it?" she asked. Raegas looked at her through shining eyes, stealing her breath away, and smiled.

"I just remembered something from a long time ago, when my mother was still alive. It was early in the morning, and I was trying hard to sleep, but I couldn't. After an hour of tossing and turning, I finally gave up and rose from bed. As soon as I sat up though, my door suddenly opened, and in came Vetrali, looking very rushed." She began with a small smile, causing Shepard to smile as well.

"More so than usual?" she asked, remembering a few stories of the woman from Raegas. She chuckled and nodded, looking off in the distance.

"She ran straight up to me, her hair sticking out everywhere as if she'd just run a marathon. Without one word, she grabbed me and threw me over her shoulder. I was taken off-guard, seeing as how she never did such things, let alone in the way she did. Before I could even say anything she took her trusty gun and blew a hole in my window!" she laughed. As she spoke, Shepard found herself on the edge of her proverbial seat; she wanted to know what happened.

"What happened next?" she asked, enthralled. Raegas glanced at her and smiled brightly, excited at the memory.

"She ran toward it and, without hesitation, leaped through with me on her shoulder! We were several stories high, and though I trusted her, I didn't want to be flattened like a pancake. As we fell, I found myself holding on for dear life and screaming like my head was on fire." She chuckled, earning one from Shepard as well.

"Then?" Shepard asked excitedly, imagining it as the story progressed.

"Next thing I knew, Vetrali landed on the ground and kept on running away! I saw a small crater had formed where her feet had been as we sped away from my house. Strangely enough, it looked deserted as we continued past the outside walls; even the garden was empty."

"Where was she taking you?" Shepard asked, worried for Raegas' past self.

"At the time, I thought she'd finally snapped and decided to kidnap me." She chuckled. "Although, once we got to the outskirts of town, even across the lake, I found that everyone was there, looking worried and such. Vetrali finally put me down as everyone rushed to 'see that I was alright', confusing me further. I asked what was going on, and they told me my father had gone into a Bloodrage. They all said Vetrali saved my life and such, and I was grateful, but I was also still confused."

"What happened?" Shepard asked, too many questions in her mind to ask all at once.

"It turns out it was just a false alarm. My father had been eating breakfast, but some sauce squirted into his eyes. Everyone freaked out, thinking his roars of pain were those of a Bloodrage." she laughed, Shepard joining her.

Once they calmed down, they reached the breakfast place they'd gone to once before and walked in to be greeted by the same asari waitress. She seemed to recognize them and gave them the same table they'd had before as well.

"You definitely had some excitement as a kid." Shepard smiled, getting situated. Raegas blew out a small chuckle.

"I suppose. Though, there was this one time…"

**A/N: If you guys think of something you want me to write for this, as a chapter, then review or send me a message, okay? Oh, and this is kind of like the story 'Soundproof'** b**y AprilRyanMyFriend so expect mush or actual humor.**


	2. Singing In Love

**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I know you know what goes here, so why should I write it down anyway? I'm just too lazy to say I don't own anything but what I make, so-… Oh wait; I just said it.**

**A/N: Here is another installment of shenanigans, everyone!**

Shepard awoke to the feel of lips on her own, a gentle hand caressing her cheek. She knew who it was, and responded immediately, pulling Raegas down to deepen the kiss. A moan escaped her lips as she opened her mouth to Raegas, loving the feel of her mouth on hers.

Eventually, they had to part for air and Raegas rested her forehead on Shepard's. They both smiled slightly, catching their breath and wrapped their arms around each other.

"I may just keep waking you up in the mornings, you know." Raegas smirked, earning a chuckle from Shepard. They both sat up and Raegas stood as Ciria jumped onto Shepard's bed to greet her as well. She nuzzled Shepard's neck and licked her cheek a few times happily as Shepard scratched her behind the ears. She had been pleasantly surprised that Ulaeviel saliva wasn't sticky like a dog's at all, the first time she'd been kissed by Ciria.

"I think I'll just pretend to be asleep until you do." Shepard agreed, laughing lightly as she stood. She dressed quickly as Raegas turned her back to her respectfully to give her privacy. Shepard didn't know why she did that, especially since she'd ogle if it was Raegas that was changing, but even so, she felt really cared for when she turned around.

"Come on, everyone's waiting for us." Raegas said, once Shepard finished changing into her casual clothes. She took her hand, knowing Raegas was too shy to do so herself, and looked at her questioningly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Wordlessly, Raegas pulled her along the corridors and up the stairs. Ciria ran slightly ahead of them, but stayed in sight.

"It was Ashley's idea." Was all she said as they walked along the corridor. Shepard noticed everyone was gone, so where was Raegas taking her in a deserted ship?

Shepard's question was answered when she was led through the doors leading to the comm room. She realized everyone- the whole crew, even Joker- was there, waiting for them. Raegas took her to two seats, no doubt reserved for them, and sat her down. Before Raegas could sit in hers though, Joker took it with a sly grin.  
>Raegas glared at him but said nothing, her kindness towards his brittle bones saving him from a punch to the face; Raegas was a very territorial person. Shepard had always thought it was adorable how protective she was of everything she considered hers, including Shepard herself.<p>

Before Shepard could yell at Joker, Raegas plopped herself in her lap, wrapping her arm around Shepard's neck. Said Commander blushed at the movement, but was also elated as she wrapped her arms around Raegas' waist, holding her close. The lights deactivated then, and the screen blinked on, showing blue words scrolling up the screen. Shepard knew this movie; everyone in the Alliance has seen it at least once, after all.

…

Several hours later, the Star Wars marathon finally ended and everyone clapped. Shepard wasn't sure why it was a custom to clap, but did it anyway. As the lights turned back on and the screen deactivated, Raegas stood and made her way to the front of the room. She easily won everyone's undivided attention with a simple clearing of her throat.

"Now everyone, I'm sure you're itching to get on with your days, but I believe I owe someone a small performance." She said, flashing a smile at Shepard. "And I would like for you all to attend, if only to see me make a fool of myself. Twenty minutes, cargo bay two." She finished. Once everyone nodded or murmured in excited agreement, Raegas made her way back to Shepard.

"Performance, huh?" Shepard wondered, excited. She wanted to know what Raegas was planning, but knowing Raegas, she'd only find out once it started. Raegas smirked at her and slipped her arms around Joker, picking the flustered pilot up easily. Shepard figured it was so he could attend as well since they were down the stairs and such, but she still felt a pang of envy at the gesture. Of course, Raegas was also most likely doing it as a silent revenge for Joker stealing her seat by removing some of his dignity.

"You'll see." She said with a faint smirk, leading the way out of the comm room.

…

Twenty minutes later, the entire crew was situated on cargo boxes or sitting on the floor, facing the other half of the room. Raegas and her siblings held instruments loosely as they finished preparing and tuning, along with setting up the sound system. Kareck manned the drum set, Ayldrik had the piano, Jasin took the bass and Raegas sported the guitar. All in all, they looked as if they knew what they were doing, and Shepard couldn't help but stare at Raegas; she looked great. Earlier, her sisters had forced her to don makeup once more, so she truly took Shepard's breath away, even if she had no idea.

"Alright everyone, let's start with a tribute to Star Wars, eh?" Raegas proposed, getting cheers from everyone. She smirked and nodded to Ayldrik to start.

"_A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away, Naboo was under an attack,  
>And I thought me and Qui-Gon Jinn could talk the Federation into maybe cutting them a little slack.<br>But their response, it didn't thrill us: they locked the doors and tried to kill us.  
>We escaped from that gas, and met Jar-Jar and Boss Nass.<br>We took a bongo from the scene, and we went to Theed to see the Queen.  
>We all wound up on Tatooine; that's where we found this boy.<em>

Oh  
>My my this here Anakin guy<br>Maybe Vader someday later; now he's just a small fry.  
>He left his home, kissed his mommy goodbye,<br>Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi, soon I'm gonna be a Jedi."

Did you know this junkyard slave isn't even old enough to shave?  
>But he can use the Force they say,<br>Ah, do you see him hitting on the queen though he's just nine and she's fourteen?  
>Yeah, he's probably gonna marry her someday.<br>Well, I know he built C-3PO, and I've heard how fast his pod can go.  
>And we were broke, it's true, so we made a wager or two.<br>He was a prepubescent flyin' ace, and the minute Jabba started off that race,  
>Well, I knew who would win first place: oh yes, it was our boy.<p>

We started singin'  
>My my this here Anakin guy<br>Maybe Vader someday later; now he's just a small fry.  
>He left his home, kissed his mommy goodbye,<br>Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi, soon I'm gonna be a Jedi."

Now we finally got to Coruscant; the Jedi Council we knew would want to see how good the boy could be.  
>So we took him there and we told the tale, how his medichlorians were off the scale, and he might fulfill that prophecy.<br>Oh the Council was impressed of course: could he bring balance to the Force?  
>They interviewed the kid, oh training they forbid,<br>Because Yoda sensed in him much fear, and Qui Gon said, "Now listen here: just stick it in your pointy ear. I still will teach this boy."

He was singin'  
>My my this here Anakin guy<br>Maybe Vader someday later; now he's just a small fry.  
>He left his home, kissed his mommy goodbye,<br>Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi, soon I'm gonna be a Jedi."

We caught a ride back to Naboo 'cause Queen Amidala wanted to; I frankly would've liked to stay.  
>We all fought in that epic war, and it wasn't long at all before little hotshot flew his plane and saved the day.<br>And in the end some Gunguns died; some ships blew up, and some pilots fried.  
>A lot of folks were croakin'; the battle droids were broken.<br>And the Jedi I admire most met up with Darth Maul, and now he's toast.  
>Well I'm still here, and he's a ghost. I guess...I'll train this boy<p>

And I was singin'  
>My my this here Anakin guy<br>Maybe Vader someday later; now he's just a small fry,  
>He left his home, kissed his mommy goodbye,<br>Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi, soon I'm gonna be a Jedi."

_We were singin'  
><em>Now, everyone joined in at the last verse, smiles prominent on their faces. Even Shepard joined in, already swept up in the music and Raegas' beautiful voice._  
>My my this here Anakin guy<br>Maybe Vader someday later; now he's just a small fry,  
>He left his home, kissed his mommy goodbye,<br>Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi."_

As the music ended, everyone cheered. They all loved it, even the non-human crew, and smiled widely. Shepard felt a rush of pride for Raegas, rejoicing the fact that she was hers. She'd been wondering if Raegas was ever going to perform for her, and was planning on asking her, but at the moment, she just wanted to listen to more. Of course, how Raegas could just sing that song off the top of her head was amazing.

"More!" was the one word the whole crew was chanting, excited at the song. Shepard was glad everyone was letting themselves go- without getting enormously drunk- and accepting Raegas as she was, at least at the moment. She'd seen the looks Raegas always got around the ship ever since she woke up after Shepard got her, and she couldn't really blame her crew, but it bothered her immensely.

"Okay, okay, we'll continue!" Raegas caved, blushing slightly, her hands up in surrender, getting another round of cheers from everyone. She turned and spoke to her siblings for a few moments before turning back to face everyone.  
>"Let me see if I can't be eloquent once more, huh?" Raegas chuckled, sending Shepard a wink while everyone cheered.<p>

"_Angel of Mercy  
>How did you find me?<br>Where did you read my story?  
>Pulled from the papers<br>Desperate and hardened  
>seeking a moment every fix<em>

All I wanted to say  
>All I wanted to do<br>Is fall apart now  
>All I wanted to feel<br>I wanted to love  
>Its all my fault now<br>A Tragedy I fear

Angel of Mercy  
>How did you find me?<br>How did you pick me up again?  
>Angel of Mercy<br>How did you move me?  
>Why am I on my feet again?<br>And I see you

Whoa Whoa Whooaaaa  
>I feel you<br>Whoa Whoa Whooaaaa

Raegas' voice carried them all on her emotions and voice, taking them on a journey, showing them all how she felt before and now. Shepard's heart beat against her chest in rhythm, letting herself get immersed in the music.

Before just the daylight  
>Come and I stand by<br>Waiting to catch the quickest plane  
>Flying to nowhere<br>Is better than somewhere  
>That's where I've been and nothing's changed<p>

All I wanted to say  
>All I wanted to do<br>Is fall apart now  
>All I wanted to feel<br>I wanted to love  
>Its all my fault now<br>A Tragedy for sure

Angel of Mercy  
>How did you find me?<br>How did you pick me up again?  
>Angel of Mercy<br>How did you move me?  
>Why am I on my feet again?<br>And I see you

Whoa Whoa Whooaaaa  
>I feel you<br>Whoa Whoa Whooaaaa

I'm so lost in you  
>The tragedy seems to be over now, over now<br>The tragedy seems to be over now

Shepard knew Raegas was talking to her, telling her she accepted the past. Raegas was telling her she found solace with Shepard, and it pulled at her heart.

Angel of Mercy  
>How did you find me?<br>How did you pick me up again?  
>Angel of Mercy<br>How did you move me?  
>Why am I on my feet again?<br>And I see you

Whoa Whoa Whooaaaa  
>I feel you<br>Whoa Whoa Whooaaaa  
>I feel you<br>Oh Oh Whoaaaa  
>I feel you<br>Oh Oh Ooooh"

As the music died away, everyone was quiet for a few moments as if just realizing something. Suddenly, they all burst out into cheers, once again taking on large grins. Shepard got her fair share from crew members as well, since most of them knew they were together.

"More!" again, everyone chanted. This time, Ayldrik stood and whispered something in Raegas' ear as everyone continued chanting. Whatever he said, it brought a smile to Raegas' face. Shepard watched as the two siblings switched places and Raegas sat at the piano while Ayldrik took the guitar and mic.

"Alright everyone, let's see if I can pull off a song or two as well, hm?" Ayldrik proposed, earning cheers from the crew. He nodded to Raegas, and she started on the piano. Shepard watched, entranced, as her hands flew across the keys expertly.

"_Now that she's back in the atmosphere  
>With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey, hey, hey<br>She acts like summer and walks like rain  
>Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey, hey, hey<br>Since the return from her stay on the moon  
>She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey, hey, hey<br>hey, hey, hey, hey_

Tell me did you sail across the sun?  
>Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded,<br>And that heaven is overrated?

But tell me, did you fall for a shooting star,  
>One without a permanent scar?<br>And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?

Now that she's back from that soul vacation  
>Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey, hey<br>Mmm...  
>She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo<br>Reminds me that there's room to grow, hey, hey, hey, hey  
>yeah...<p>

Now that she's back in the atmosphere  
>I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol Jane<br>Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet?  
>Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day,<br>And head back to the milky way?  
>And tell me, did Venus blow your mind?<br>Was it everything you wanted to find,  
>And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?<p>

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken?  
>Your best friend always sticking up for you, even when I know you're wrong<br>Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone  
>Conversation<br>The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me?

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet?  
>Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day,<br>And head back toward the milky way?

Tell me did you sail across the sun?  
>Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded,<br>And that heaven is overrated?

Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star,  
>One without a permanent scar?<br>And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself?

Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah  
>nah nah nah nah nah nah nah<p>

And did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day?

Nah nah nah nah nah nah  
>nah nah nah nah nah nah<p>

And did you fall for a shooting star,  
>Fall for a shooting star?<p>

Nah nah nah nah nah nah  
>nah nah nah nah nah nah<p>

Are you lonely looking for yourself out there?"

Again, the music ended, earning cheers from everyone. Ash looked gob smacked, Shepard saw, and was definitely blushing, but the Commander had a feeling Ayldrik's next song would be much more… obvious.

"One more for me, you guys. I think it'll be pretty self-explanatory, but if you must know…" Ayldrik sent a smile to Ash. "It's for the love of my life." he announced, getting more cheers and a deeper blush from the Chief.

Ayldrik started the guitar and Kareck then began the drums as Raegas picked up a second guitar and Shepard watched as they handled it with ease.

"_Shadows fall on yesterday  
>It's like time just slips away<br>I'm nothing  
>When darkness follows me<br>The dawn it never shows it's head  
>I'm left dying here instead<br>With nothing  
>A lock without a key<em>

Like the brightest star you shine through  
>Ashley baby, you make me feel so alive<br>I've got purpose once again  
>Yeah, yeah<br>Ashley baby, you make me feel so alive  
>I've got purpose once again<br>Yeah, yeah

_I've got a purpose once again_

If looks could kill you'd be the one  
>That takes my world and makes me numb<br>I'm nothing  
>Without you I can't breathe<br>And as the sunlight burns the sky  
>I see through my obsessive eyes<br>I'm nothing  
>Without you I can't see<p>

Like the brightest star you shine through  
>Ashley baby, you make me feel so alive<br>I've got purpose once again  
>Yeah, yeah<br>Ashley baby, you make me feel so alive  
>I've got purpose once again<br>Yeah, yeah  
>Yeah, yeah<p>

You're the strength I need to fight  
>You're the reason I still try<br>I'm the moth and you're the light  
>Use these wings so I can fly<br>I can fly

Ashley baby, you make me feel so alive  
>I've got purpose once again<br>Yeah, yeah  
>Ashley baby you make me feel so alive<br>I've got purpose once again  
>Yeah, yeah<br>Ashley baby, you make me feel so alive  
>I've got purpose once again<br>Yeah, yeah  
>Ashley baby, you make me feel so alive<br>I've got purpose once again  
>Yeah, yeah<br>Yeah, yeah

I've got purpose once again  
>I've got purpose once again"<p>

Once the music ended, the crew clapped loudly and whistled, sending cat-calls to the two. Shepard glanced over at the Chief and saw that she was about as red as a cherry, trying to hide herself from the attention. She clapped her on the shoulder and squeezed it a bit to lend her strength, and she sent a weak smile to Shepard in thanks.

Ash stood then, and walked over to Ayldrik, still blushing, but looking much better. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around him and dipped him down, planting a kiss right on the lips, earning more cheers and whistles from the crew. Even Wrex chuckled at the scene as he leaned against a crate.

Once Ash let Ayldrik stand on his own once more, the both of them were blushing and smiling like fools. Shepard chuckled to herself and crossed her arms. As she looked on, she watched as Raegas raised a brow at them, telling them to get on with it. Shepard thought that look was adorable and so Raegas-like, she would've stared at that small smile all day. As everyone cheered for more, the siblings switched up again, Jasin taking the lead guitar and mic as Ayldrik took the drums this time. Ash sat back down beside of Shepard and leaned against Saiga who was lying down behind her.

Jasin smiled at Liara who was sitting on the other side of Shepard from Ash.

"I'll give it a go, if only to try and say what I can't as much as I want to." She said, flashing a brilliant smile and earning loud cheers of encouragement from everyone. Once the noise died down, the music started.

"_And I'd give up forever to touch you  
>Cause I know that you feel me somehow<br>You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
>And I don't want to go home right now<em>

And all I can taste is this moment  
>And all I can breathe is your life<br>Cause sooner or later it's over  
>I just don't want to miss you tonight<p>

And I don't want the world to see me  
>Cause I don't think that they'd understand<br>When everything's made to be broken  
>I just want you to know who I am<p>

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
>Or the moment of truth in your lies<br>When everything seems like the movies  
>Yeah you bleed just to know your alive<p>

And I don't want the world to see me  
>Cause I don't think that they'd understand<br>When everything's made to be broken  
>I just want you to know who I am<p>

I don't want the world to see me  
>Cause I don't think that they'd understand<br>When everything's made to be broken  
>I just want you to know who I am<p>

I just want you to know who I am  
>I just want you to know who I am<br>I just want you to know who I am  
>I just want you to know who I am"<p>

Once the music died down, a cheer went through the happy crowd and Shepard caught a large blush in Liara's cheeks. She smiled softly to Jasin, but once the suggestive whistling commenced, she shrunk further into Waru, who was lying behind her. The large Ulaeviel picked her head up and howled, joining in the celebration.

Jasin chuckled and got the crowd to calm down, then took a breath, seemingly worried over what she was going to sing next. Raegas appeared at her shoulder and whispered something in Jasin's ear though, and whatever she said, it seemed to calm her down.

"Alright, this one's pretty straightforward, so bear with me…" Jasin said, a tad shyly. The music started then, and everyone settled down to listen.

"_I'll be your dream  
>I'll be your wish<br>I'll be your fantasy  
>I'll be your hope<br>I'll be your love  
>Be everything that you need.<br>I love you more with every breath  
>Truly, madly, deeply, do...<em>

I will be strong  
>I will be faithful<br>Because I am counting on a new beginning  
>A reason for living<br>A deeper meaning yeah

I wanna stand with you on a mountain  
>I wanna bathe with you in the sea<br>I wanna lay like this forever  
>Until the sky falls down on me<p>

And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky  
>I'll make a wish send it to heaven<br>That'll make you wanna cry  
>The tears of joy for all the pleasure and the certainty<br>That we're surrounded by the comfort and protection  
>Of the highest power and lonely hours<br>The tears devour you

I wanna stand with you on a mountain  
>I wanna bathe with you in the sea<br>I wanna lay like this forever  
>Until the sky falls down on me<p>

Oh, can't you see it baby?  
>Don't have to close your eyes<br>'cause it's standing right before you  
>All that you need will surely come<p>

I'll be your dream  
>I'll be your wish<br>I'll be your fantasy  
>I'll be your hope<br>I'll be your love  
>Be everything that you need<br>I love you more with every breath  
>Truly, madly, deeply, do..<p>

I wanna stand with you on a mountain  
>I wanna bathe with you in the sea<br>I wanna lay like this forever  
>Until the sky falls down on me<p>

I wanna stand with you on a mountain  
>I wanna bathe with you in the sea<br>I want to lay like this forever  
>Until the sky falls down on me<p>

_*** Back ground ***__  
>I wanna stand with you on a mountain<br>I wanna bathe with you in the sea  
>I want to lay like this forever<br>Until the sky falls down on me_

I wanna stand with you on a mountain"

Once the music ended, the room roared their approval, and Jasin flashed a smile at an extremely blushing Liara, who was glancing around shyly, wringing her hands. Shepard noticed the embarrassment in Liara's eyes, but as the asari looked at Jasin, she could see love there as well. It was nice that everyone was confessing in front of everyone, but Shepard had to admit that she felt a little left out. Raegas wasn't one to broadcast anything in any way, but even so…

Shepard watched the three younger siblings descend on Raegas as everyone began to calm down, and pulled her to the mic once more. Shepard was confused at their behavior, but figured they were going to get her to sing again. She wanted to know what Raegas would sing next, but if she was going to be forced into it, why do it in the first place?

And why was Raegas blushing while the sisters whispered in her ears?

Once they had Raegas firmly in place, they took their positions quickly. For a few moments, Raegas simply stood there, looking unsure and worried. She glanced at Shepard then, and the Commander gave her an encouraging smile, if only to make her feel better. At that, Raegas nodded, as if to herself, and closed her eyes, taking a breath.

"I feel there is still something I need to say to my one and only, everyone. How about it?" Raegas proposed, earning the loudest cheer Shepard heard all day. At that, Shepard blushed, realizing Raegas meant her, and gazed at her, wanting- needing- to hear what she was going to sing next.

As the music started, the room went quiet in anticipation.

"_You lift me up with Your love  
>You lift me up with Your love<br>You lift me up with Your love  
>You lift me up<em>

Waiting for the sunrise  
>Waiting for the day<br>Waiting for a sign that I'm  
>Where You want me to be<p>

You know my heart is heavy  
>And the hurt is deep<br>But when I feel like giving up  
>You're reminding me<p>

That we all fall down sometimes  
>When I hit the ground<p>

You lift me up when I am weak  
>Your arms wrap around me<br>Your love catches me so I'm letting go

You lift me up when I can't see  
>You heart's all that I need<br>Your love carries me so I'm letting go

You lift me up with Your love  
>You lift me up with Your love<br>You lift me up with Your love  
>You lift me up<p>

I know I'm not perfect  
>I know I make mistakes<br>I know that I have let You down  
>But You love me the same<p>

And when I'm surrounded  
>And when I lose my way<br>And when I'm crying out and fallen down

You are here to lift me up when I am weak  
>Your arms wrap around me<br>Your love catches me so I'm letting go

You lift me up when I can't see  
>You heart's all that I need<br>Your love carries me so I'm letting go

I can see the dawn is breaking  
>I am feeling overtaken<br>With Your love, with Your love  
>I don't know what I can offer<br>In this moment, I surrender  
>To Your love, to Your love<p>

You lift me up when I am weak  
>Your arms wrap around me<br>Your love catches me so I'm letting go

You lift me up when I am weak  
>Your arms wrap around me<br>Your love catches me so I'm letting go

You lift me up when I can't see  
>You heart's all that I need<br>Your love carries me so I'm letting go

I can see the dawn is breaking  
>I am feeling overtaken<br>With Your love, with Your love

You lift me up with Your love  
>You lift me up with Your love<br>You lift me up with Your love  
>You lift me up"<p>

As the music faded, the room was silent for a few moments as if processing the depth of what just happened. Shepard could only stare as Raegas breathed in deeply and gave a crooked smile. Instantly, the room burst out into applause and cheers, whistles and whoops, the sheer jubilation of the reaction startling Shepard a bit. She locked eyes with Raegas and stood, going over to her quickly.

As soon as Shepard reached her, she wrapped her arms around Raegas and swept her off her feet, planting a heavy kiss on her lips. The cheers increased in volume and even Wrex's laughing could be heard over the din. Once Shepard was certain Raegas was thoroughly kissed, she pulled back with a smile.

"I love you, Raega." Shepard said, earning a big smirk from the woman in her arms.

"I know..." She whispered, smiling into another soft kiss.

They pulled back soon, and flashed smiles to everyone, getting another cheer from them. Once they finally calmed down, the crew began to break into groups and talk amongst themselves as they left the Normandy, including Raegas' siblings and their respective partners.

Soon, Raegas and Shepard found themselves alone in the cargo bay.

"I hope you liked the performance, even if it was a bit overdue?" Raegas said, smiling slightly. Shepard chuckled and pulled Raegas into a warm embrace for a few moments.

"I loved it. Now, why don't we go and get some breakfast? I'm hungry." Shepard proposed, earning a chuckle from Raegas.

**A/N: I'm working on your idea, HB, don't worry. And I know this one was long and a little drawn out, but I wanted to let my brothers choose their own songs for their crushes and all, so don't yell at me, please. I'll list them bellow if you want to listen to them.**

**The Saga Begins - Weird Al Yankovic**

**Angel of Mercy – OneRepublic**

**Drops of Jupiter – Train**

**Ashley – Escape The Fate**

**Iris – Goo Goo Dolls**

**Truly, Madly, Deeply - Cascada**

**Lift Me Up – The Afters (I know this one's supposed to be Christian, but the first time I heard it I thought it was a love song. So there)**


	3. An Innocent Favor

**Disclaimer: If I have to keep writing these, I might just have to start recycling the catchy phrases I came up with. Well, it's either that or simply state how I'm too poor to own Mass Effect and how I only have my OCs and whatever I may create of my own accord. … Now that I think on it that sounds oddly vain… (Insert thinkface here)**

**Liege Lord: Thanks man, you always know what say. ;) Any ideas or wants for what should come next?**

**HB: ;-;… *tear***

**A/N: Let's just kick this one off since I can't wait anymore!**

"_Raegas… Raegas, wake up… Hey…"_ I came back to consciousness easily and opened my eyes to blearily look up at Ciria staring down at me with an earpiece hanging out of her mouth. I let out a tired sigh and looked to Shepard, who was still asleep, holding me prisoner. I knew I wouldn't be escaping anytime soon, or at least until she woke up.

"What?" I hissed into the earpiece Ciria just dropped on my face.

"_We need you for a favor."_ Kareck's voice replied. I let out a frustrated sound and looked to the holo-clock. 4:25 AM.

"I'm not going to get up at four in the morning!" I muttered, annoyed. Almost in response, Shepard stirred in her sleep and pulled me even closer, almost comfortingly. I had a moment of weakness where I simply wanted to cuddle with her and forget my brothers, but I forced myself to stay on topic.

"_Please? We can't go to sleep and there's nothing to do on the Citadel this early!"_ Kareck complained, in a whiny voice. It grated on my nerves enough to make me grimace. He was lucky Shepard made me feel better or I'd go out there just to beat his ass.

"Tell me what it is first." I frowned, not really wanting to listen at all. Whenever my brothers said the word 'favor', chaos almost always ensued- no matter the request.

"_See, we had this idea…"_

…

"No! I refuse!" I almost shouted, once again causing Shepard to stir and mutter in her sleep. At least she didn't wake up.

"_Come on! You're the only one who can do this!"_ Ash's voice pleaded, surprising me.

"You too, Ash? I had thought to put more faith in you, but I suppose it was misplaced." I deadpanned.

"_Hey!"_ she protested.

"_Really Raegas, even I want to see this."_ Garrus' flanged voice joined the conversation, annoying me further. I wasn't completely surprised over him wanting me to do something so ridiculous, but if I heard right, half the crew was in agreement on the other line. From their voices, I assumed they were all in the mess hall.

"Why should I even want to do this? It's a ridiculous waste of time." I stated, irritated with the lot of them. Groans of frustration and disappointment sounded on the other end, causing my frown to deepen.

"_We'll give you the one thing you've said you wanted to eat."_ Ash's smirk sounded through the earpiece, catching my attention. I thought back on what I've been saying and slowly came to realize just what she was talking about.

"You're kidding…" I whispered, knowing at that point I was hooked if it were true. I could almost sense the rising hope through the piece.

"_Not. At. All. If you do this for us…"_ Ash started, successfully pausing for effect. _"We'll give you all the BK burgers you can eat." _She finished. I felt my eyes widen in complete shock.

"It still exists?" I asked under my breath, feeling awe come on. I could practically hear O Fortuna playing in the background now as my mouth watered in anticipation.

"_Not only that, but their menu is even bigger- with choice of meat, no less. You can get your favorite Thresher beef."_ Kaiden added, waking me all the way up. How heavenly would Burger King burgers be with my favorite, most juicy, flavorful meat? I was almost drooling at this point.

"I…" I struggled with myself on the inside, not knowing what to do. On one hand, I could do something I absolutely never wanted to do in return for Burger King, but on the other I could just stay out of it and stay with Shepard, safe and warm.  
>"It's…" Burger King. Safety and warmth. Burger King. Safety and warmth. Burger King. Safety and warmth… Burger King… "I…" Safety and warmth.<p>

Burger King with Thresher meat and space buns perfectly in line with each other, held together by God's own cheese.

Safety and warmth of most dear loved one in the entire universe in the most relaxed and comfortable way- with possibility of hot good morning kiss.

… Dammit!

"I'll do it." I sighed, letting it slip out before my inner turmoil came to a close. Cheers exploded over the comm, making me feel guilty over my decision to leave Shepard to wake up wondering where the hell I was. Ah well, I'd get her a burger and _not _eat it later as an apology. And make sure to hug her with a 'sorry' because I couldn't pass up the chance to partially snuggle with My Shepard.

Now, how to get out of the bed?

…

An hour later, I was out of bed, cleaned up and dressed. By this time it was around five-thirty or so, so Shepard wouldn't be up for at least another half an hour given we were on leave. It was nice to be able to just relax for once without worrying over missions and all, but I still had small inhibitions over the future. Ah, well, I'd put it out of my mind until my deal-with-the-devil was complete.

Kareck handed me the only thing I needed to get me started: a hashbrown and a cup of coffee. I still remembered the days back on earth when my friends and I would invade McDonald's just for the hashbrowns, then go to Starbucks for coffee and lastly, descend upon Burger King for their burgers. To us, that and Ihop were the perfect breakfasts. It was nice to know BK now also had hashbrowns. Of course, how they, as a fast food restaurant, were still in business, but I couldn't care less at that point.

"You get the real reward after you're done." Ayldrik grinned, holding what I would be using for the 'favor'. Even I didn't like it, but I had to; for the Burger of Heaven.

"I don't like this at all." I commented, even as I took it from Ayldrik's hand. There were a few chuckles, but no real response. I had a feeling this may end badly and I couldn't help but wish I hadn't said anything about Burger King from my 'visions'.

"Then it's best to get it done fast, eh? Like a bomb." Jasin smirked, arms crossed. I didn't much appreciate her equating my situation to a bomb, either, but I may as well have ignored it.

"Let's get this over with." I grumbled, heading for my next objective.

…

Wrex slipped his eyes open as easily as always, waking up from a restful slumber. He had always been a bit of a heavy sleeper, but when you're in a pod that forces you awake after a set number of hours, you're bound to be a little grumpy. After all, Wrex appreciated rest when he could get it. All his years as a mercenary taught his body to work on little sleep, so when he finally got some real down time, he was stuck in the damned pod to force him to sleep thanks to his insomnia.

Stepping out from the cramped space, the Krogan warlord distantly recalled a time in his travels where he cornered a salarian pirate in a ventilation shaft. Damned tunnels…

Before his memory was played out, a crewman heading a pod across from Wrex gaped at him for a few moments. His fleshy face proceeded to turn red as it tensed. The weird look was followed by hushed laughter.

"What the hell is so funny, human?" Wrex growled, scaring him away.

With a huff, he lumbered off toward the Mess for some food.

…

The entire time Wrex had been sitting and eating his food, everyone had stared- more so than usual. It was irritating and he had growled at several people plenty of times. It had gotten old after the first minute of so much attention- especially since Wrex knew they must have done something to him in his sleep. He didn't feel any different so I was possible they had spread a rumor like humans do about something stupid.

"H-hey, Wrex…?" the Krogan looked up at Williams, hearing her barely contained mirth. The human's pink face only irritated the Krogan further.

"Why don't you tell me what the hell is so funny?" he half-demanded, rising from his seat menacingly. The female got whiter and cleared her throat to calm down.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She answered, setting him off.

"Don't push me, Williams. I know _someone_ did _something_- otherwise, I wouldn't be stared at like a footless Pyjak!" he growled, poking her in the chest.

"_I_ didn't do anything! If you really want to know, why don't you look in a mirror?" Williams proposed, offended. Wrex growled and stomped off, heading toward the bathrooms.

…

"Damn humans!" Wrex grumbled, grinding his teeth as he stamped into the bathroom. He went straight to the large mirrors above the sinks. What he saw stopped him dead.

He recognized just what it was, sitting there, on his head. Humans talked about them every now and then when the topic of holidays came into conversations. Knowing what it was just pissed the warlord off even more. He clenched his claws into fists and growled dangerously low in his throat as his lip curled upward, showing his sharp teeth. They even went as far as to glue it to his headplate! The humans would pay for this.

On his head were two innocent bunny ears, sticking up into the air.

**A/N: Whoa, what? Yeah, I **_**totally **_**just cut it off on you guys! Let's hope we find out what Wrex does with this new revelation soon! ;)**


	4. An Innocent Favor Pt 2

**Disclaimer: Yeah, you already know what's happening on this little note, everyone. I don't think I need to give you the memo, do I?**

**Hopelessly Blue: No need to apologize, sweetcheeks; I know how hard it is to read your favorite story sometimes. XP Moving ahead, I do believe I intended for chapter 2 to be nothing but fluff. But Star Wars being romantic? I hadn't counted on that one, honestly. I'm more of a cheesy/sarcastic type. Example? I'd call you 'milady', or smirk as I open the door for you- even make some brownies- that stuff. Still, I'm happy you enjoyed it. ;)  
>As for chapter 3, I have to admit the idea came from my older brother. I guess he just really wanted to see something written about ME with a bunny suit in it. Weirdo. (Not that Wrex could fit in the damned thing entirely, right? XD ) Oh, and with what happened in the end of ME3, I admit I'm royally pissed and disappointed as Bioware. I swear on my LIFE that I will FIX IT! DX<strong>

**Liege Lord: Yeah, I'm happy you liked it, Lordy. I think it was the glue that pissed Wrex off the most, eh? Either way, I am working on the sequel of my other story right now. I should have another chapter out today or tomorrow, okay? Peace out.**

**A/N: Wow, it's been too long, everyone! Sorry to have kept you waiting! (mostly, anyway) XP**

"I hate you all." Wrex's scathing comment was perfectly reasonable. I felt sorry for the poor guy even though he injured three crewmembers, almost killed Joker while 'asking' where the 'perpetrator' was, left countless dents in the walls _and _pinned me against a wall. I was glad Shepard was there to be confused and demanding as to what was going on; it defused Wrex's built up anger just enough for my lovely girlfriend to convince him to let me go in return for getting the bunny ears off of him.

"At least I only used _light_ glue…" I tried humor, picking at the stuff with Shepard's trusty knife. The warlord growled in irritation, his arms crossed. I could only help my urge to laugh as I glanced to Shepard, seeing her shaking her head at me. I gave an innocent shrug, happy to see it earned me a little smirk.

"How did you even sneak open the pod without waking him up anyway?" Ash asked, getting an obvious amount of satisfaction from it. Wrex glared at her, his head pulling me with it due to my grip on the glue. Or rather, the glue's grip on the knife.

"I, uh… Opened it. Wrex is a heavy sleeper so the lack of stims to force him up gave me enough time to…" I had to hide the slight mirth in my voice, knowing Wrex still wanted shake me like a ragdoll. "To glue the bunny ears on." I finished, hearing another growl. Garrus was just sitting at his usual spot by the mako with his mandibles flared. I could see he was getting a lot more enjoyment out of the whole situation than everyone else put together.

"I still can't believe you did this, Rae." Shepard sighed, trying to frown at me only to fail and smirk instead. I knew she was getting as much a kick out of it as I did when I saw Wrex's lumbering figure charging at me with accompaniment of bunny ears.

"What can I say?" I asked, taking a bite of my BK burger I was holding. "I really like food." Wrex growled again and grabbed my burger hand. Before I knew it, he ate it right of my grip! "I was eating that!" I burst, offended at Wrex's action. He just glared up at me angrily.

"You'll be eating more than food if you keep it up!" he spat.

"Keep what up? Getting these off your head? I can stop if you really want me to!" I shot back. Wrex stood quickly then and narrowed his eyes on me. Even with my hand still on the knife on his head, my other was still on his grip. Man, he could squeeze.

"You've tried my patience long enough! You're lucky I have any respect for you or you'd be dead right now!" he almost shouted.

"That's nice. Now if you'd like me to finish, sit down and eat someone else's food!" I returned, wiggling my trapped hand's fingers in emphasis of my stolen food.

Grudgingly, Wrex sat back down and released my arm. Kareck came right over and gave me a new burger, knowing I would be as grumpy as Wrex for the rest of the day without my payment. Not that I would be grumpy at Shepard; I loved her too much to be mean in any way.

Shepard sighed and facepalmed, muttering, "What am I going to do with you?" tiredly. I flashed a crooked smile at her in return, hoping she wouldn't be too disappointed in me.

Now, back to that glue…

…

Once Raegas was finally finished getting the bunny ears and extra adhesive off of Wrex's head, he skulked off to go 'beat someone's face in' in the Citadel's wards. Understandable, considering she had actually pranked him- while he slept. Shepard wasn't sure whether to be proud of her for getting away with it or scold her for doing it in the first place. It had been funny up until the Krogan slammed Raegas into a wall.

Shepard had gotten up in the morning expecting Raegas to be in her arms, smiling in her sleep and cuddled close; not running around the mess hall, trying to evade Wrex's shotgun blasts and raging slanderous language- while eating a cheeseburger of all things! It was fair to say the Commander had been worried that Wrex wouldn't miss or that Raegas would trip up and get smashed into the floor by the Krogan's throwing the chairs around. Luckily, she was faster than she looked.

Thinking back on the scene, Shepard went up to her love and set her hands on Raegas' hips. She pushed close and smirked at the woman's pause of movement. It was nice to know she had an effect on her still. Not that Shepard had much doubt of her own ability to elicit responses from the Vertoakan.

"And here I thought you loved me more than food." The Commander smirked, using a joking tone. Raegas blew out a puff of air before reaching back with one hand and running her fingers through Shepard's hair.

"Well, it's a tough call, I'll give you that…" she said smoothly, turning in Shepard's embrace. The Commander knew she was only joking but she still couldn't help the small sting of whiplash she felt on the inside.

"That so?" Shepard asked, slowly rocking their hips side to side as if slow-dancing to music only she heard.

"But Aerin?" Raegas asked, sliding her arms around her lover's neck. She pushed closer and brought her mouth to Shepard's ear. "You know I love you more than life itself." Her serious whisper sent a thrill down the Commander's back as her breath almost caught in her throat. Raegas pulled back with a smirk, no doubt fully aware of Shepard's hammering heart.  
>"As clichéd and cheesy as it is." The Vertoakan added, cupping Shepard's face in her hands.<p>

Shepard felt her heart melt for the woman all over again as her stomach filled with ecstatic butterflies. She didn't need any more reason than the need for Raegas' touch to kiss her at that point- and that was exactly what she did. Shepard leaned forward and pressed a smoldering kiss to Raegas' lips, finding herself shot with electricity. The Commander's whole body tingled, urging her to deepen the contact, much to her love's pleasure.

Once they finally parted, the Vertoakan took a breath before cuddling close to her Commander, sighing contentedly. Shepard may have normally wished for the moment to last forever, but at that point in time… all she wanted was to hold Raegas in her arms.

(Of course, later, they had to think of some way to appease Wrex)

**A/N: I know that was short and kind of a nothing chapter, but funny fluff needs to happen somewhere. Besides, I'm working hard on the other two stories I need to update for y'all. XD**


	5. The Thresh Flower

**BAMS: Lulz, I agree. XD**

**Hopelessly Blue: I do like holding hands… (I'll throw eggs with you and hold you too, you goofball XP) And yes, I missed you too- don't I always say that? Well even if I don't, I do; for future reference. Love you lots! ;) (This was just one big flirt wasn't it? Lol)**

**Liege Lord: Agreed. Wrex may go into a rage if anyone even starts to mention what transpired on That Day. XP**

**A/N: We're back with more shenanigans everyone! Hold on for the ride, 'cause this one's got 'shotgun envy' written all over it!**

"I _told _you to go left, but _no _you had to go right! Into a thresher nest!" Garrus ranted, flailing his arms everywhere. If turians had blood vessels, I was worried one would pop.

"It's not _my _fault! If _someone_ hadn't ejected spare eezo grime onto my helmet, _maybe _we wouldn't have had to come out here in the first place!" Tali shouted back, facing a boulder instead of Garrus. Her blindness was already funny, but then she had to go and do the classic 'I don't know where you are because I can't see so I'll just look at something random instead' move. Ash snorted, trying to hold in the laughter, and Ayl grew tight-lipped.

"Look you guys, just try to breathe before you go off at each other." I said, struggling to mask the mirth in my voice. Garrus just grumbled to himself and plopped down on a rock as Tali came toward me, her arms outstretched. It didn't take long for her to trip over Ash's outstretched leg and land on Joker. The poor pilot cried out in pain, telling me he may have broken something.

"Ash…" I started dangerously, eyeing her. She put her hands up in surrender and went to help the two suffering victims up. I had a feeling we'd be stuck in more than this damned cave, too…

"_Chakwas? Are you okay?" I asked, taking hold of her shoulder to give her balance when she swayed._

"_Quite alright, dear…" she breathed, only to fall half into me as she collapsed. I caught her to keep her off the ground and immediately picked her up. I set her on the closest bed, knowing something was up. Chakwas never was one to be sick, even at her age, but to suddenly…_

"_I don't think that qualifies as 'quite alright', doc." I said, with hint of concern. She tried to rise but winced in pain; I pushed her back down to try and see what was up. "Look, just sit still while I scan you, okay?" I ordered more than requested, already starting my armor up. It had better scanning machinery in it given it was made with Solinium, so I would be able to see what was causing it ASAP. Good thing I still had it on from showing off at the Orphanage. (long story)_

_My HUD soon brought up information screens along parts of Chakwas' body that were affected irregularly. It looked like she was spiking a temperature, her digestive system was all whack and, from what I could understand, there was something wrong with her heart beat. Unfortunately, I wasn't a doctor so I had little clue as to what was going on._

_Suddenly, the door to the med-bay whooshed open and I turned to see two crewmembers leaning on each other. They were staggering forward as best they could, barely moving faster than a snail's pace. I wasted little time in helping them to beds as well and scanning them. Oddly enough, they had the same symptoms as Chakwas. Was something going around that I wasn't aware of?_

_Figuring I might as well try to look something up, I went to Chakwas' console and typed in the symptoms. A few possibilities popped up, but the starting symptoms all varied too much to be right. One was as close as it could get, but it said in the description that it was caused by… well let's just say it was gross and impossible, okay? Okay.  
>Giving up on that front, I called Joker on the comm and told him to run a sweep of the ship and try to find anyone else that might be infected. Not three minutes later, he told me the crew was dropping like flies. He then told me Shepard was still out on the Citadel, busy with something about music; Jasin, Ciria, Ayl and Saiga were with her. <em>

_With orders from the visiting Anderson, he announced a quarantine- meaning we'd all be stuck on the Normandy and no one could get in until we knew what we were dealing with._

"_Just my luck." I sighed, carrying two more crewmen to the med-bay. By then, I got the impression that whatever sickness it was, it was a fast one; half the crew had already passed out or collapsed with no prior warning but the fever._

"_Hey Liara, can you reach me that flask?" I requested of my asari friend as I set the crewmen down. She rushed over with shaky hands, no doubt getting flustered at her new Doctor's Assistant position. With Chakwas out of the game and Anderson coordinating with Presley and Joker to contact everyone on the outside, I was forced to take care of the sick just because Anderson thought I was some genius (since I took care of Ciria and all or something). Friggin' old man…_

"_Here you are." Liara said, handing me the flask, getting my attention once more._

"_Thanks. –And just take a deep breath, alright? You got this." I said, smirking. Liara returned the gesture half-heartedly, glancing down._

"_As Jasin would say…" she muttered, to which I nodded._

"_Exactly. Now let's figure out what this is before it gets worse." I stated. _

_And before Shepard finds out… I thought._

…

"_Three days and all you have to say is 'I'm not sure'?" Velarn asked, crossing his arms as his mandibles twitched._

"_Look, it's our only hope of curing this. The symptoms are only getting worse and from what I can tell, it won't be another week before the infected are dead." I protested, trying to be reasonable._

"_What makes you so sure this 'Thresh Flower' will help?" Sporatos inquired softly, putting a hand to his chin._

"_In the text, it explains nearly exact symptoms to what's happening here and how that flower's medicinal properties can react with medi-gel to cure the sickness; this… 'Desert Fever'." I explained, as convincingly as possible._

"_How is it even possible that the Desert Fever reached the Normandy and it alone?" Tevos wondered, thinking deeply. I thought back and recalled the week before, when Ayl was confined to his quarters. It was a Vertoakan sickness he got but it was possible that the germ somehow devolved into the Fever._

"_My brother was sick recently; I believe the bacteria somehow transformed to move into Humans. So far, it's only humans that are sick." I replied. They thought for a while before looking to each other and nodding in that cryptic way of theirs. They gazed back to me then, no doubt against what they were about to say._

"_You may travel to Tuchanka then, and acquire the flower. You have five days." Velarn stated, before cutting the transmission._

_I turned to a quiet Anderson to see him closing his Omni-tool. Whatever he was doing, I had a feeling Shepard was in on it; even though she was stuck outside of the Normandy. It relieved me though, to know she was safe from the infection. Hopefully, anyway. With luck, it hadn't spread farther than the Normandy in any way. If it had, we'd have a pandemic on our hands._

I sighed, coming back from the flashback. After we left the Citadel, Shepard called. Joker had to put it over the med-bay comm because I couldn't leave the infected with Liara alone- she had already accidentally stabbed both me and a patient with sedatives.

"_It's a little hard to talk right now Shepard!" I called, trying to support a crewmember while he threw up what was left of his lunch. Some of the less fortunate had started with worse symptoms- it was almost like food poisoning at that point._

"_You could have waited for me you know!" she stated forcefully, no doubt frustrated at not being able to help._

"_Look, I know you don't like being out of the proverbial loop, but this is too serious a sickness for me to risk you getting it! Besides, we'll need you to stay strong and come to rescue us if we screw up." I shouted, laying the crewman down before tying my hair back. Liara glanced to me and did a double-take when she saw my 'elf ears', as pretty much every human called them._

"_I know you'll be okay, but that's not why I don't appreciate being left behind." She replied, controlling herself from wringing someone's neck no doubt._

"_Shepard-" I was cut off when I had to catch a crewman from falling off of her bed in the fever's withering grip. It was times like these I hated having empathy for other's' pain. My entire body felt like it was sore and burning. I even felt a little light-headed and lethargic to the point of slight disorientation. It was also entirely possible that Shepard knew I felt these things because of the Bond as well, unfortunately. Maybe that was why she had a little more agitation in her voice than I'd have anticipated...  
>"I just didn't want to wait for you to try and get into a quarantined ship to risk your health-possibly life-just to try and help something that can't be cured without the flower!" I ranted, feeling as if I was justifying my guilt at leaving her behind with such rational opinions.<em>

"_I know that, it's just…" she trailed off, seemingly out of words._

"_I'll call every hour and keep you updated, alright?" I said, finding an apologetic smile on my face._

"_Make it every minute and I just might feel better." She replied, the smirk in her voice soothing my guilt only slightly. Even so, I forced a chuckle in response, just imagining a scene where I struggled to call Shepard in various situations._

"_I like to sleep too, you know." I smirked, wiping the sweat from Engineer Adam's' brow._

"_Like we'll be able to now that you decided to separate us." Shepard accused, reminding me of that fact. Great. Now I was going to have nightmares for at least four days. The last one I'd had had consisted of giant Spawn trying to sell me Band-Aids._

"_No flirting or guilt tripping, Shepard! I'm trying to actually treat people here!" I chided, keeping the humorous tone up._

"_I agree, Commander. We will report back within the hour." Liara called, jumping right into the conversation. We soon said our goodbyes and shut off the comm. _

I hadn't particularly appreciated mothering all of the infected crewmembers, but it was nice to gain new perspectives on what Chakwas went through with really sick people. Not that I thought the insight was worth it after having to clear the med-bay of barfed up blood on the third day.  
>It had been on the fourth day that we actually made it to Tuchanka. Sure, the trip shouldn't have taken so long but with the ship running on less than a skeleton crew, it would make sense we'd be slower than normal. Well, that added with the fact that Garrus had accidentally damaged the core and sprayed eezo 'compost' all over Engineering so we were stuck with half horsepower. No wonder Shepard let him handle only the calibrations.<p>

Once we'd made it to Tuchanka we had to get Wrex's help in finding an empty thresher's nest. See, the Thresh Flower got its name because it only grew in the underground tunnels and caves that Thresher Maws dug out. Luckily, we found one, but it was getting into the underground part of the nest that was the issue. When we'd gotten to the Mako, I decided to bring the non-infected, save for Kareck and Raja- they had to care for the sick.

Another problem was the fact that, apparently, Tali had always wanted to drive the mako to see how good she'd do. Even blinded by the compost Garrus had poured everywhere, she made her way to the driver's seat when I was distracted. Before I had known what was going on, she launched from the Normandy, screaming like a hopped up banchi. I had the sinking feeling she may be infected as well, only with different 'starting' symptoms. Like spontaneous happy delirium or hysteria.

"This is why I never leave the ship!" Joker groaned, curled up on the floor, bringing me from my thoughts.

"Gimp." Ash smirked. Liara openly pouted at her in disapproval as I began pulling Tali off of Joker since all Ash did was smirk at them unhelpfully. Not that she didn't try, but Tali's squirming at my touch told me she was either really ticklish or overly sensitive because of the possible infection. If she really was infected then I'd have to hurry my ass up before she became the first fatality due to her weak immune system. I'd be the second given Kareck was so attached to her regardless of his admitting it or not. After all, I was the only one- besides Shepard and, of course, Raja- that knew.

Thinking that, I finally got Tali up and off of Joker. He let out a pained breath in relief and slight agony as I realized his legs really were injured from the sudden force of Tali's falling on him. Great. Thanks Ashley. Sighing, I allowed Tali to set her hand on my torso to get a feel for it in her blindness. Once she found my belt and clung to it firmly I slowly approached the mouth of the cavern to see we were really stuck in a series of tunnels, copses and watery groves. Underground. I looked back at the crashed mako to see it was intact but out of commission for the time being. So we'd have to walk.

_Might as well get some rest…_ I thought, looking to my companions and temporary charges as they sat on the ground or stood idly, tiredness in their eyes. Wrex and my siblings seemed to be the only ones ready to get going. Personally, I was exhausted and, knowing I had to care for everyone lest they get infected, I rathered we rested to prepare for the coming day.

"We'll rest here for a while before moving out. Joker, let me see your legs." I announced, seeing the mix of relief and dismay in the group. Relief at being able to relax but dismay as leaving the already sick on the Normandy for longer than anticipated. I felt the same but if we succumbed to exhaustion or dehydration (if the water in those groves were tainted) then no one would be getting healed. Or saved, now that I thought on Shepard finding me dead in some hole in the ground on Tuchanka of all places.

Overall, I figured I should get this whole ordeal over with as soon as possible.

**A/N: Now, I know you all are like, "Oh hey, when did this happen, the timeline wasn't that long before Raegas disappeared right?" and all, but just bear with me. I know what I'm doing. Besides, this was too exciting to think of without actually writing it down, you know? And now you're probably thinking I should've waited and used this as a chapter or two in the ME2 sequel to this story. Well who knows? Maybe this will happen to them again and it'll be switched up. **

**You never know, right? ;)**


	6. The Thresh Flower Pt 2

**BAMS: You know Garrus; he likes to clean things to show off how perfect he thinks he is. ;)**

**Hopelessly Blue: To be fair, it's blood they puked up so… But still, it sucks to cough up blood- and it hurts like a bitch! DX (reads rest of review and blushes shyly with smile) I'd hold your hand all of the time if I could if I get a kiss like that, HB… And I'm glad you fixed the 'days' thing! I was heartbroken when I saw the 'don't' the first time! I even re-read the review to make sure that's what was there! (Good thing I stared at it until you fixed it! XP) So anyway, I love you and I miss you and all of that mushy stuff (mentally fantasizes about you) *Stop it Jake! I'm going to erase what you just- no don't throw Simba~!***

**Liege Lord: Not for long, bro, not for long! ;P**

**A/N: I felt like writing another shenanigan, so sue me. I am working on my other stories as best I can but without any real motivation or inspiration it's tough to come up with material I deem worthy of your eyes. Either way, I haven't given up and I don't plan to- so don't worry. ;) Oh, and this is like a break chapter between Thresh Flower chapters one and two- if you get worried over what's going on, I'll tell you now: this is a dream sequence kind of deal. Do not freak out until the end of the chapter. You know; when all the shit gets real. **

"_Would you rather slide under the covers, only to discover a dozen roaches scurrying about OR sit on the toilet, only to discover a rat swimming around?" Ash asked, grinning at the game we, the crew of the Normandy, had finally agreed to play. I laughed at the horror on Liara's face and slapped my knee in humor. On the inside, at least. I had only been with the crew for a small while and I was convinced the marines loved their free time more than anyone else in existence. What irritated me about this was how remote the possibility of playing this game was, let alone how it existed. Either way, Shepard wouldn't stop grinning at me like I was going to have fun at any moment or something, it was strange._

"_What would you choose, Raegas?" she asked. I raised a brow and pretended to think for a moment, entertaining the idea of either actually happening._

"_The rat. I doubt it could do much let alone bite my ass." I half-explained, not enlightening them with the small fact of my hatred for roaches. Better not give them ideas._

"_I couldn't stand either one! Why ask such questions?" Liara gasped, getting an agreeing nod from Tali. Both were sitting next to me, too, which I found to be slightly entertaining. We were all sitting in the floor of the docking bay at least so they weren't sitting unbearably close._

"_Because it's fun. I'd go with the rat too, by the way." Kaiden smiled, irritating me. I liked him as Carth better but both were annoying._

"_Roaches. I don't even know what a rat is." Wrex added, all crossed arms and surly frowns as usual._

"_Same with me." Garrus offered._

"_I'd take the rat any day. I hate roaches with a passion." Shepard announced, earning a look of slightly widened eyes from me. She glanced over but immediately looked away, smiling to herself. Now that I could truly say I wasn't one, I could see just how strange humans may seem to aliens. Good thing I was one. Before I came to the ME-verse, anyway. I think._

"_Okay, next; would you rather cut off your arm with nothing but mini tweezers or remove all of your teeth using a bottle opener?" Ash asked, grinning. Everyone at least winced at that one. Liara and Tali looked afraid for their lives at this point and Kaiden, being the dumbass he is, laughed nervously and nudged Shepard in the arm. She glanced to him then me then back to Ash with bared teeth; she was no doubt imagining that happening._

"_I guess I'd choose tooth removal…" she said, rubbing the back of her neck. I frowned to myself knowing the impossible choice wouldn't have to be made for real but felt sympathetic either way._

"_I agree. Prosthetic arms and mini tweezers are too inefficient and the teeth can be replaced by fake ones." I said, getting an agreeing nod from Wrex and Garrus. I doubted they knew half the stuff mentioned but who cares?_

"_Well I'd choose that too!" Kaiden suddenly declared, looking to Shepard for approval. Dumbass. I couldn't help myself when I glared at the back of his head out of irritation. His antics of chasing after Shepard had always been too much- I didn't know how the Commander herself did it._

"_Anyway, next one is; would you rather…"_

…

"_Ten minutes of what?" I asked, confused. Shepard sighed almost dramatically and crossed her arms._

"_Ten minutes of heaven. It's an ancient game humans play. You see, it's where you go out to a nebula and put the ship on standby to let a pair of randomly selected people go out- on tethers of course-and spend ten whole minutes together. –Well, at least that's the space version." She explained, to which I frowned. Why would we do that?_

"_What point is there to going out in space?" I asked, confused. The version I knew consisted of two kids going into a closet for five minutes while their friends all expected them to kiss or something. This new 'space version' was ridiculous. "I had heard of a version that used a closet on small space instead that seemed more time efficient." I grumbled, turning back to my work table._

"_That sound like more fun, actually! Thanks, Raegas- let's get the others so we can get started!" she announced, completely unfazed of my unvoiced rejection to her space game. She then grabbed my shoulders and turned me around, promptly leading me to the door._

"_I didn't say I would play your game!" I argued, resisting. Unfortunately, she predicted such a movement and wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me up toward her just enough for my grip on the ground to falter. After my accident two days before with getting shot by the gang member during shore leave and meeting my siblings she seemed to stick near me much more often. It could have simply been me but I found it perplexing in its own way._

"_You'll have lots of fun, don't worry!"_

…

My eyes slipped open as I awoke, feeling more groggy than I should have. It took me a minute to remember how I got to be on the cave floor in the Thresher nest even, and that was rare. Unless I was with Shepard. The irritating part of it was the strange dream/flashback; I couldn't remember the last time I had a normal dream let alone a flashback without being in Shepard's protective arms.

This told me one of two things were possible: one, I was beginning to feel the Desert Fever's effects or two; I was going insane all of a sudden. This wasn't good; if I was infected with the Desert Fever the others may not make it- as vain as that sounded.

After all, Ash didn't know where to go, Joker was injured, Tali couldn't see, Liara had to take care for the possibly injured with me even though she was exhausted and Garrus' dextro-amino system predisposed him to allergens within Tuchanka's barren land and caverns. Basically, only I and Raja could find the damned flower in the time I was already allotting myself. If we didn't find it, get to the surface, up to the Normandy and make the cure within 24 hours the crew, along with me and the others would most likely die due to the rapid rate at which the Fever was evolving (given I was most likely infected at this point).

So the issue here was that this rescue mission just turned into a timed survival struggle.

**A/N: Super short the-shit-just-got-real shenanigans chapter, yea! Oh, and we had some more snippets I may use later too, so that's a plus. I should be able to update within this week, BTW, all you lovers of ARD/ARC or SoaP. ^.^**


	7. The Thresh Flower Pt 3

**Hopelessly Blue: *holds reddened cheek with shocked expression* I… I'm sorry, I… *tears form in guilt* I didn't mean to be gone so long, I… (… Um… She's… unavailable now. I guess I'll respond to your review instead. I'm Corey by the way. Now that she's read the first paragraph of it she's refusing to talk now. Geez and she was already wounded from that damned car crash. Thanks. But seriously, you're funny and I'm sure, when she finally gets past the mental sting of that slap she'll fawn over your review as usual. *reads next sentence of review* Wow. Maybe I need to force her to at least read that one right now. I shall. *minutes of convincing pass by*) … *Sniffs*… Well… I would… lots… all day… but you're not HERE! (Damn it. She's gone again.)**

**Liege Lord: … (Uhh… I'd like to think she'd agree with you. Just so you know. Sorry about this but she can't really type with her hands all broken and stuff, so I'm substituting for her. I'm Corey, her big brother. If you didn't know. I'll just shut up and try to get her to tell me what to write.)**

**SA/N: **_**Come on, you have to say something! If you don't update she might mentally slap you again. **_**… But…. **_**Look, do you want to make your readers happy? … **_**I guess… **_**And do you want to make HB happy?**_** Yes… **_**Alright then. Now tell me how it goes so she can read it as fast as possible. **_**Well… I guess it should start when…**

I bent over for a moment, out of breath for the third time. I couldn't understand why I was so tired so suddenly. Even the Fever didn't act this fast. It normally sat in the system for a few days until it manifested enough to spread rapidly. If that was right, and I really was infected, then I must've been down for the count from the start. Not that I had any other choice but to continue on the survival mission.

Waru, Ash and Wrex were the only ones with me as it was, too. I had told the others to stay back where we crashed so Liara could care for the injured, blinded or sick. Garrus had to get the mako up and running or we wouldn't be getting out whether we had the flower or not. It also turns out that what I thought was just my empathy on the ship (dizziness, nausea, fever and shortness of breath) was actually the oncoming Fever that had already infected me.

If I was any judge, I had less than six hours left before I actually dropped for good.

"Talk about knocking on Death's door…" I muttered, ignoring my shaking hands and legs as they strained.

"You say something?" Wrex asked, seeing Waru press closer to me in support.

"Just asking if you're sure this nest is actually empty." I lied, continuing on the path Waru's nose pointed out.

"Yes I'm sure." He retorted, slightly offended.

"Are you okay, Raegas? You don't look so good." Ash asked. So she noticed my slightly hunched figure and slower step. Hm.

"Yes I'm sure." I scoffed, just as Wrex had. Luckily, that diverted they're attention to each other instead of me. I couldn't have them finding out how sick I already was. Besides, I wasn't planning on dying anytime soon. What would Shepard do without me? Before she died herself, anyway. But then, if I had any say in it I may just change that.

_You should rest._

I paused momentarily at the sudden voice. None of my companions had said it, judging by the voice but then… who did say it? I wasn't already going crazy was I?

…

An hour later, we came to an open cavern with sunlight filtering through cracks in the ceiling and moss-like grass on the ground. It was fairly flat and it looked nice, but from what Waru indicated as she inspected the vicinity the flower was still nowhere to be found. But we had to be getting close… right?

Sudden coughing caught my attention and I looked back to see Ash leaning on the wall. Wrex looked to her uneasily, knowing just as I did what it meant. Ash was sick too.

Damn this fever!

_That's life…_

Ignoring the voice again, I stepped up to Ash. Just as I reached her side she fell back, her knees buckling. I managed to catch her but my own weakness sent me to the ground as well. Luckily, I masked it as surprise so Wrex wouldn't catch on. Without even saying anything I took Ash's hand and pulled it away from her face. I had to clench my teeth at what I saw.

Blood.

Looking back up a Wrex I managed to stand with Ash in my grasp. She was already weak from the Fever and already half-conscious. If anything she didn't have much longer than I did. Waru came over and whined, seemingly knowing what I was about to do.

"Waru, lead these two back to the others. Take care of her." I said, setting Ash on the Ulaeviel's back. It was like getting on a pony, in over-sized wolf form if anything.

"Hey, I'm not going back. You need help too." Wrex protested, stepping toward me almost aggressively. I knew he only meant to help but the matter of the fact was that Ash was down and I wasn't. That made her the priority to get back to Liara. After all, it was the asari that had the medicines necessary to prolong the life of an infected person.

_You should go back too. That medicine can save your life._

Stop it. All of us will die if I go back.

Shaking my head at the large Krogan, I gripped his forearm, saying, "You're the only one who can make sure they get back safe. You're also the only one who can rig the comm in the mako to work in here. They need you more."

Wrex growled, but conceded, saying nothing more.

"Waru, tell me the direction of the flower." I requested, getting a stubborn look in return. "The longer you prolong this the less time we all have." I said, getting her to growl in helplessness. A moment later she looked up, staring at a certain hole in the cavern some yards away.  
>"Thank you. I'll be back before you know it." I smiled, trying to reassure them.<p>

_Them? Or yourself?_

Asshole.

_I try._

Once they finally left, heading back toward the others, I let myself fall to the ground. I hadn't even been this exhausted after training with Karamu day after day. Before I knew it, I too hacked up a fair amount of blood, reddening the moss-grass in front of me. Shit. Shepard was going to have a fit when she found out I was being a dumbass again. I may even get a longer lecture after this than the time I *cough* purposefully *cough* tripped Udina down the stairs. Too bad she was the only one who figured out I did it.

"Come on, Rae… You have to keep going…" I whispered.

Forcing myself to stand moments later, I started for the cave Waru pointed out.

…

"The radio still isn't working!" Waru's ears perked at the sudden yell that originated down the way. It must've come from the turian, Garrus. He always was quite temperamental.

"I'll fix it." Wrex announced once they entered the cove, startling the others. Liara hurried over to Waru then and helped Ash off of the Ulaeviel quickly.

"Where's Raegas? Did you get the flower?" Joker questioned, looking at Wrex with his brows furrowed. Waru hung her head in shame, knowing she should have stood up to the woman more. If she had, then perhaps she wouldn't be alone now, looking for the Flower.

"No." Wrex growled, not even looking at Joker. Tali, the quarian girl that Kareck liked so much tensed, no doubt as worried as the atmosphere was tense.

Waru went to the mouth of the cove where Raega's scent led and sat down, releasing a small whine. Such recklessness was almost natural to the woman, yes, but she didn't need to hurt herself more than she was already scarred.

_Please, Shepard… Please save her before it is too late._

Waru then laid herself down, promising herself to wait. She would lead Shepard to Raega when she arrived. _If_ she arrived…

…

_Two and a half hours to go…_

Stop counting down. It's not funny.

_I am only helping._

I hadn't realized Death was so…

_Hmm? Convenient? Caring? Welcoming?_

Irritating.

_Don't kid yourself now._

I let out a shaky sigh as I stepped out into a dead-end grove. The ground was covered in soft moss as light filtered through the ceiling as it had in the cavern. Water circled around the grove in a stream, flowing off somewhere out of sight, shining in the morning rays. What looked like a tree root stuck up in the middle of the grove, the apex of it in the main cluster of rays.

And on the apex was the flower.

"Finally." I muttered, my hoarse voice coming out in a whisper.

Slowly climbing up the small incline, I reached for the flower and gently plucked it from its resting place. Once I was standing again I began coughing up more blood, falling to my knees on the ground. I knew I barely had any way of getting back in time, but if I hurried then maybe the others could be saved. I already had nothing to lose either way seeing as how I was probably going to die anyway…

_Then why don't you just rest? Die comfortably in this pretty little grove._

I can't.

_Oh? Enlighten me._

If I hurry… I might get to see Shepard once more…

… _I see. You love her truly, then?_

I chuckled, forcing myself to stand once more. "Too much in fact." I managed, starting back down the cave.

…

I didn't make it that far, though. My body gave out on itself once I made it back to the cavern where I'd parted ways with Wrex and the others.

Blood freely seeped from the corners of my mouth, staining the moss under me. My vision was too blurry to even make out my own hand clearly. The flower, still in my grasp, rested against my chest as I lay on my side, half curled up. My entire body was burning up in a maelstrom of fire even though the air around me was cool. I knew my body was burning up.

So why did I feel so cold?

"Aerin…" I whispered, feeling a single tear escape my eye as they closed.

_"…-gas…!"_ the faraway voice echoed in my mind then, just before pressure in my lungs forced my diaphragm to squeeze, pouring more blood out of my mouth.

Then, there was a tight squeezing pressure on my shoulders. It was as if my bones were splintering. The pain was so intense I could feel myself losing grip on my life even more.

_"…Raega…!"_ that same faraway voice echoed again before weightlessness took me. My eyes slipped open of their own accord, wanting to know who it was carrying me.

_Shining blond hair…_

"Shepard…"

**A/N: So, this one was the most dramatic of the shenanigans chapters I've done so far, don't you think? Sorry about that. I hadn't intended for it to be so serious, but… Well it just happened. (Ah, well at least she finished a chapter before she got grumpy again.)**


	8. I Need You More Than You Know

**Hopelessly Blue: I love you too, HB! Don't apologize; it makes me feel horrible for feeling horrible! You're not anywhere near being any kind of D-bag at all, you're, like, and angel or something! I can't even understand how you could say that of yourself! You're the one that's kept me going, y'know? (*sighs* She's ranting too fast for me to type. You know though, she loved the narration thing so much she read it out loud. Dramatically. But then, once she got to the D-bag comment she decided to go into a hysterical rage. At the moment she's staring at a blank spot at the end of her hospital bed and yelling at it as if you were actually there. And the nurse is trying to calm her down. *sighs once more* I'll type once she calms down.) *half an hour passes*  
>Okay, I'm good now. (You sure?) Yes I'm sure! I can update today, even! (Don't push yourself, sis, the doctor said that yesterday you would've passed out from exertion if you kept going.) *scoffs* Pass out, as if. That quack has no idea what I can do if HB is involved. (Uh…) And besides, I'm tough. You know we come from a strong lineage and all, right? So who says talking to my big brother as he types is exertion? (You were fighting the sedatives they gave you, that's why.) … Uh… That was what they injected me with? Those bast-! (Don't even say it. Bonehead.) You're one to talk! You're the one I fashioned Ayldrik after! (Great. You didn't happen to mention poisonous mushroom eating did you?) *slow smile pulls at mouth* Maayyybbeee… (Caitlin! Tell me or I'll stop typing right now!) W-wait! I… guess I did… in the character intro… But that was forever ago, no one remembers that stuff! (You sure?) Sure I'm sure! Just chill your tits and type for me before Quack comes back! (*sighs*) What? What did I do?<strong>

**A/N: Another shenanigans, everyone- let's hope it'll be more light-hearted than the last one.**

"If you keep pacing like that you'll burn holes in your pants." Chakwas stated, glancing over to Shepard where she was pacing back and forth like a caged tiger.

"Mm." was all the doctor got. She sighed and stood from looking over Raega for the seventh time. If the Commander kept overreacting at every little thing that happened to Raegas then she'd worry herself into an early grave. The Vertoakan had even been moved to Shepard's cabin both because the Commander requested as such and because there was little room in the med-bay. Even so, Ciria wasn't helping with the way she too grew restless watching over Raegas.

The poor woman had been under for three days already. Chakwas didn't envy her for what she would most likely wake up to.

"Is she alright?" Shepard asked hurriedly, the worry in her eyes telling. Chakwas put her hands up in a calming gesture, slightly irritated over the Commander pulling her from her other patients to make sure a 'skip' in Raegas' heartbeat whenever Shepard held her hand wasn't 'bad'. She even asked the doctor to 'check' Raegas' dream to make sure it wasn't a nightmare!

_Still though… It is adorable in its own way. _Chakwas chuckled on the inside, shaking her head at the Commander. How this woman saved the galaxy she'd never know.

"Yes, she's fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I am needed in the med-bay for _serious _issues." Chakwas stated, giving Shepard a pat on the shoulder before leaving.

…

Shepard sighed, forcing herself to settle down at Raegas' side. Ciria stepped onto the bed and settled on the sleeping woman' other side, snuggling close for warmth. Shepard knew she was being an idiot, but… after seeing Raegas like that in the cavern, she…

"_Where is she?" growled lowly, grabbing Wrex's collar and pulling him down. He stared into her eyes for only an instant, a clear frown on his face._

"_Getting the flower. She went on her own after Williams got sick." He answered, seeing the barely contained rage in his comrade's eyes._

"_Why did you leave her on her own? She's as sick as Ash is!" Shepard found herself snapping, pushing Wrex away. _

"_What do you mean?" Liara asked, worry laced in her voice. Jasin bared her teeth in anger as well, Ciria openly growling at Waru._

"_How do you even know?" Wrex demanded, finding himself guilty. Shepard only turned her back to him, going to Ciria and Waru at the mouth of the cove._

"_I just do." She answered. "Help me find her." she stated, a glare of hidden guilt in her eyes. Waru instantly stood, jerking her head forward. Ciria, looking and sounding as enraged as Shepard felt, bound forward with Waru._

…

_It wasn't too long before they found her. Shepard spotted a limp, half-curled up body on the ground in the middle of a large cavern. Both Waru and Ciria let out calls, running straight for the body. Shepard felt a spike of dread run through her body and her hands grow sweaty the closer the got. The body wasn't moving and there was blood in front of it, pooling in the now-red moss._

_The crimson hair was what told her who it was._

"_Raegas!" she yelled, skidding to a halt on her knees in front of the woman. She tried to shake her awake as gently as possible but the Commander got only more blood pooling out of Raegas' mouth as an answer. Sweat on the woman's forehead stuck to her bangs as her breath came in shallow gasps. Blood was everywhere._

_But she had found the flower. Ciria grabbed it with her mouth and held it securely as Waru whined._

"_Raega! I'm getting you out of here, just hold on!" Shepard's shaky voice managed, growing almost panicked. She picked up the woman and set her on Waru's back, making sure the Ulaeviel wouldn't drop her. Shepard knew they'd all move faster if she didn't carry Raegas herself, even though she wanted to._

"_Shepard…" the small whisper barely made it to Shepard's ears and she snapped her gaze to Raegas' cracked open eyes. A flood of strained relief filled the Commander, glad to see she really was alive._

"_Just hold on, Raega, I'm getting you out of here!" she stated, watching as the woman's eyes closed once more, a single tear trailing down from her eye.  
>"We have to hurry." Shepard stated, jumping up. At that, they all began sprinting back to the exit.<em>

…

"I know I shouldn't worry so much. I know you're strong and you can take care of yourself, but please… lean on me a little? I can't stand the thought of finding you like that ever again. It reminded me of the mako's crash on the citadel before we faced Saren. I just couldn't take it. It's even worse now…" Shepard muttered, speaking as if Raegas were awake. She took the woman's limp hand and held it tightly yet gently, not wanting to ever let go.  
>"I told you not to go anywhere without me again, didn't I…? I told you to believe in me, didn't I? I just want to help you…! I want to take care of you! Is that so bad? I love you too much to just leave you alone and let you go on these ridiculous bouts of recklessness thinking that you're the only one who can do it! I just can't take it!" Shepard's voice cracked from the emotion ramping up her throat then, keeping her from speaking. She rested her forehead on their joined hands, squeezing her eyes shut.<p>

Slight pressure on her hand alerted her to Raegas' hand moving. She snapped her head up to look at Raegas' face. From what she saw, the woman was still sleeping, but the tear running from her eye told her she had still heard her. Raegas' hand tightened still, squeezing until she was holding Shepard's hand right back.

Just then, her eyes slipped half open. She gazed into nothingness for several moments as if registering she was really awake, processing her surroundings. Then, her gaze slowly moved toward Shepard until their eyes locked. The Commander felt her breath hitch at finally being able to see her love awaken after almost four days.

"…Love you… too…" she whispered, still weak. Another tear made its way down her cheek, showing the emotion she felt even though her expression was empty and her eyes dull and tired.

"Raegas…" Shepard muttered, wiping the tear away gently.

"Not strong… Need you…" the weak Vertoakan had to take a moment to breathe before she could continue, worrying Shepard even more over exerting herself.

"Don't talk, love. You're still too weak from the Fever." Shepard whispered, only getting a pained shake of the head in return.

"Weak… always… need you…" she breathed once more, squeezing Shepard's hand. "… take care… me…" she rasped, still barely above a whisper. Shepard felt her throat close and she looked down once more, letting a tiny smile accompany her watering eyes. Raegas released the Commander's hand, catching her attention.

As soon as she looked back to her though, she felt a soft caress on her cheek, wiping away the tear that managed to spill from the Commander's eye. Raegas' hand cupped her cheek as her fingers pulled weakly, beckoning her closer. Shepard let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and fell forward, letting herself fall into Raegas' weak embrace.

"… Drama…" Raegas whispered, no doubt guilty and trying to lighten the mood. Shepard blew out a smile and held the woman just a little tighter.

After all, she had to enjoy the moment as it lasted. Later, Raegas was going to get the lecture of a lifetime.

**A/N: **_**Um… Caitlin? **_**Mmm…? **_**How long ago did they give you sedatives again? **_**Tell HB… Love lots… *yawns* **_**…She passed out… Well anyway, she told me earlier to put up her new poll for her, check it out. It's supposed to be really important for ARC or something, so yeah.**_

_**CHECK OUT THE NEW POLL!**_


	9. First Meetings

**Hopelessly Blue: (And it says here her coworker is a jackass) … *squints menacingly* I need names and addresses. *looks to older brother with glare* Tell me where he lives so I can beat his face in! (Uh… I know you took tea-kwon-do but…) *piercing stare causes shivers down brothers back* Don't say it. I don't care if I'm in the hospital still. I SHALL BRING JUSTICE THUNDERING DOWN UPON HIS PATHETIC EXISTENCE! (Calm down!) *gets out of hospital bed quickly* Come Corey, there is no time to delay! (Wait, you're still-!) Guh! *falls to floor in pain* My… leg… is still hurt! *doctor walks up and helps her back to bed* **_**I told you not to get up too quickly, young lady! You're body still can't take sudden strain! **_**(She's so stupid…) *minutes of doctor scolding pass by* … Okay, maybe I'll thunder justice when Dr. Wolfe won't yell at me. What's next on the review, I want to know! Tell me, tell me, tell me! What else did my Marceline say? (You should probably ask her to use her name before just saying it like that.) … STOP TYPING EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS! (Fine. Before you explode let's just get on with it. Since you probably won't update that other story we did the other day I'll read that one to you too.) *listens intently* … Hey… I was named after a poet too! That means something, right? Right? (Don't get excited just because you're on those painkillers right now.) … *brain malfunction* … (Uh… Well how about you just respond to the actual review part? Of the story.) Okay… *reads for a moment* Oohh… Yeah, I wonder what Shepard's lecture was like. I'm glad I wasn't there. (… That's it?) I can't think about other stuff right now. These painkillers make me think of HB too much. (… Is that why you forgot to eat yesterday?) *looks at brother with blank stare for a moment* Don't worry, Dr. Wolfe and the nurse remembered! *smiles as if nothing's wrong* (Idiot…)**

**P.S. I know I'm out of the hospital now, but I wasn't when I/Corey wrote the response. He thought I should leave it even though it's outdated; something about 'charm factor', I don't know. (It actually happened, that's why.) Go away and let me type. (Fine. Dork.)**

**A/N: Please ignore the time flashback everyone! I just thought you would appreciate some 'meetings' Raegas went through.**

"You should though." Shepard smirked, sparing me a glance as she tossed a spare part into the air before catching it. She had been sitting over there for ten minutes. I didn't understand why she insisted on talking to me ever since that Luna mission but it was irritating.

"I am working." I frowned. It was true. I was currently struggling to realign a palladium shell with its inner mechanism. To do so I had to heat the material in order to manipulate it properly. The problem with that was the lingering smell of metal and sweat and the heat making my eyes dry.

"Look, if you want to make a good first impression you should at least _try_ to shake a hand and smile." She said it as if it were the easiest thing in the world. I just gave her a deadpan look, my frown deepening. She noticed this and paused in her tossing to examine me. After a moment her eyes widened in shock and… delight?  
>"Don't tell me you're shy…" she began slowly, a smirk growing in her voice. I looked away and focused back to the realigning. "No!" she gasped, obviously gleeful. I dutifully ignored her as she rose from her seat to bring herself closer to me.<p>

I had to hold in a groan when she clapped my shoulders excitedly. I could smell her exuberance at something that apparently humanized me but said nothing. I wasn't going to listen to her. I didn't need to be teased and I didn't have the time.

"I… simply do not… feel as if…" I trailed off, releasing a sigh when she shook me around a little.

"No need to worry there, Raegas!" she grinned. My grip on the hot palladium intensified. "I think you just need to loosen up and go with the flow."

"The 'flow' is the least of my concerns, _Commander_." I scowled. "And I do not worry." I scoffed. She just draped an arm over my shoulder, dismissing my response. Why she was so buddy-buddy with me when off-duty, I had no idea, but I didn't think it was best. For her or me.

"Oh come on, it's a good idea! Get out of this torture chamber, take a shower and meet someone! At _least_ go to the mess hall and eat." She insisted, pulling the torch from my hand I had been using to keep the metal hot.

Unfortunately, the act caused the filtering tubing connected to the torch to minimize exhaust to trap my wrist. It tightened when Shepard, completely oblivious, walked several feet away to throw the torch into the cooling tub. In turn, the tubing burned my wrist as it pulled tighter, forcing it down onto the hot plate of the palladium. The pain instantly scorched the back of my hand and restricted my movement, making me stiffen in pain. I could feel the flesh of my hand burning and cooking. The sound of popping _bacon_ met my ear and I clenched my teeth, ignoring my watering eyes.

"Now I know you aren't really comfortable and I'm sorry but I just think it would be best if you tried to talk to someone." Shepard's words left her mouth, I could see it, but I couldn't hear them over the throbbing of my blood in my ears as pain assaulted every sense.  
>"Out of the whole crew there's bound to be someone you can feel comfortable with, right?" my face was red and seized up at this point. My agonized eyes stared at her face, inwardly flabbergasted she wasn't paying attention.<br>"I mean, if you don't- Well if you're not… comfortable with _me_, I guess- I mean if you _are_ then…" she rubbed the back of her head and glanced away. My insides screamed for her to see my hand blistering and trapped as it cooked against the hot metal. Did she not even smell it?!  
>"Well I'd be happy to uh… <em>talk<em> to you… -if you want!" her voice met with cotton-filled ears as she looked back to me.

"Nnnh…!" A low groan strangled from my throat and she looked _relieved_! What did she think I was saying?!

"Well that's good. I was kind of hoping we could, um… get to know each other better, I mean… You _are_ beautiful and I just feel like…" she stopped again and her smile faltered as she finally seemed to stare at me in the way that said 'what's going on I'm confused'.

"Ghh…!" I wheezed, my eyes squinting at the absurdity of her cluelessness.

She came closer then, looking concerned, and set a hand on my shoulder. My awkward posture leaning toward the source of my pain tipped her off and she looked down. Her eyes instantly widened in panic and she cursed, no doubt hearing the cooking noises my own flesh was making. I could barely feel it anymore.  
>Her hands gripped the tubing trapping my forearm and wrist but instantly recoiled at finding it had been heated next to the plate as well. She cursed again and shook her hands out but gripped the tubing once more anyway.<p>

With one strong heave, she ripped the tubing up and took my hand with it. The skin tore at the sudden separation but I had no time to lament for Shepard rushed me straight to the cooling tub. I had to hold in a cry of both pain and relief when my abused flesh met with cold liquid, Shepard's along with it. We hissed in unison at the sensation, sagging against each other.  
>Were I human I would've had third-degree burns if not a lack of a hand and I wouldn't have felt anything. But because of my body struggling to heal in its normally rapid method, it hurt worse than it should have. Still… I was grateful to Shepard. Even if she was a complete <em>idiot<em> she still got herself burned for me. Dammit just ignore the whole situation altogether.

"Shit Raegas I am so sorry!" she began, cursing herself. "I can't believe I didn't-" I looked up at her, seeing the worry and regret in her features. I barely noticed she had stopped speaking as I discovered just how close we were to one another. Our lips were barely even millimeters away.

There was a moment where we just stared at each other, hypnotized by the moment. Hell, even my pain lessened as I stared into her emerald depths. It was the strangest sensation, standing so close to her. It was like my stomach both tightened and lifted as if straining against its barriers. My chest felt heavy, forcing my breath to move in and out at a faster pace although keeping quiet.

But I soon regained myself and looked down, snapping us both out of it. "Let's just go to the med-bay." I muttered.

"Yeah…" Shepard's distant voice forced me to look back at her, curious. "Sure, we'll go… uh…" her brows furrowed and I watched in bewilderment as her expression grew concentrated and her tongue licked her lips. Her eyes were stuck on my own mouth which caused me to frown. How strange.

"To the med-bay." I repeated. She came out of it then, taking a deep breath and looking away.

"Right." She said, examining her hands through the water. "The med-bay."

…

"Again, I am _so_ sorry I didn't- I can't even fathom how stupid I was being! I apologize, Raegas, seriously." Shepard repeated, for the _tenth_ time. I sighed. It was like she didn't want to listen to what I had to say even though I said it was fine. It was seriously getting on my nerves.

Chakwas, who was currently working on my damaged left hand, shook her head in distaste. She had finished yelling at us, mostly Shepard, ten minutes ago.

"And again, Commander, I say _forget_ it. I don't understand why you won't listen to me." I grumped. I was sitting across from her on a neighboring bed.

"Because I was an idiot and I should've paid more attention!" she practically snapped. My brows shot up and my mouth shut closed in surprise. "I don't know how I didn't see it sooner, you were right in front of me and I just blanked out because I was-…" she stopped herself then and looked down. I, not noticing her look or caring at the moment, decided to retaliate.

"You forget I can heal much faster than humans. If anything your burned hands are what to worry over. Now stop berating yourself, listen to me when I say to forget it, and be quiet." I ranted, eyes narrowing in irritation as I spoke. The Commander turned her gaze back up to me but said nothing as Chakwas was about to.

"Why don't the both of you be quiet and let me work." She quipped. "Lie down Raegas, so I can scan you for any extra damage." I glared up at her but said nothing as I did as she asked. There was no point in arguing with her because she still would've insisted though she didn't know how my systems really worked. I was an unknown species, after all.

Chakwas wasted no time of course, and scanned me as Shepard looked on. I had already told the doctor to treat her first and she had, but for some reason the Commander refused to leave. Maybe it was because she felt _so_ guilty. The thought alone made me roll my eyes.

Moments later the scan was finished and Chakwas let me sit back up. She studied the screen over the bed that held the scan's results, crossing her arms. My body looked fine except for a red marker pointing to a red highlighted part of my left hand and an unknown marker indicating the core of my torso. It was darker than it should've been, almost black, and spread outward, growing fainter the further from the core it reached. It only covered the main body of my torso though the black 'energy' arched around my veins subtly. I frowned to myself, unconsciously pressing my hand to my chest.

If you didn't guess already, that blackness was the energy of the Gavaek'Jaggx. The source of my self-loathing and the cause of my pain.

"So?" Chakwas' prompt forced my attention back to the outward world and I glanced at her. Her brows were raised, telling me to say if anything else was out of the ordinary. She hadn't asked about the blackness yet and I wanted it to stay that way.

"I'm fine." I said. At her disbelieving look I deadpanned. "Really."

"But what's all of that black stuff?" Shepard asked, pointing at the diagram. I hadn't noticed she leaned forward to stare at my scan.

"Ignore it." I found myself ordering, before turning to the scan and pressing the 'clear' option.

Ignoring whatever else they said, I left the med-bay.

…

"Tali." I stated her name as I walked into Engineering with a frown.

"Aah!" she yelped, jumping three feet into the air and dropping the datapad she had been looking at. She whipped around to regard me fearfully then, a little hunched and close to herself. She seemed to like doing that whenever I looked at her.  
>"R-Raegas, hello…" she stammered, already wringing her hands together. I kept from rolling my eyes at the display. She did this the last time I'd spoken to her as well. It had been the first time I met her, too, so you could imagine she was even more jumpy.<p>

"Yes…" I replied, bending over and retrieving the datapad she'd dropped. Her arm twitched as if wanting to reach out but she said nothing. "Hello." I finished, holding out the datapad for her. She hesitantly took it from my hand moments later.

"T-thank you…" she murmured. "Did… you need something…?"

"Yes. I've run out of file space on the datapad you gave me last week. Would you happen to have another one you're finished with?" I inquired, being as polite as I felt like. My hand still stung and the medi-gel may have helped to numb the pain but the bandages didn't help anything to breathe.

"Ah- you filled it already?" she stuttered, shocked. I gave her a half-hearted smile in confirmation, too tired to reply to such an unnecessary question. The quarian, obviously flustered, abruptly pushed the datapad she had been holding into my chest, forcing me to take it.  
>"Oh keelah! I- I am so sorry, I didn't mean- I shouldn't have done that, I-!" she went on like that for another few minutes as I stared at her in confusion. She was acting like I was going to break her helmet's plate glass in a bout of revenge.<p>

"Tali, calm down." I ordered. She instantly stopped talking, wringing her hands so quickly they almost blurred. "Are you finished with this datapad or not?" I asked slowly. I didn't want her to pass out like last time after all.

"Y-yes, I was going to… put it away right before you… came in..." she answered lamely, giving me the distinct impression she was lying because she was too shy or nice to state otherwise. I had to sigh to myself on that one.

"If you aren't then just say so." I said, shaking my head.

"W-well… I was… going to read over it… again." she finally got it out and I nodded, handing it back to her.

"Then do so." She took it slowly and turned away to grab another one off her console. I had only ever asked her for datapads because she read all of the ones everyone else in Engineering memorized already. When she finished reading them I could use them for notes, journals and plans.  
>"Thank you." I stated, taking the other pad from her hand. She nodded a little too enthusiastically, clutching the pad I had returned to her to her chest. The girl was going to give herself a heart attack one day.<p>

"Y-you are welcome." Her almost-smile of relief was clear to me. Even through her suit I could sense it as I turned away.

I smirked to myself when I heard her heavy sigh at my leaving the room.

…

"Mind if I sit down…?" I glanced up from my work at the mess hall table and held in an instant smile at seeing Liara herself. I had always adored her in the games, and even if I lived in my own angst I found myself feeling an impulse to hug her for no reason. Her social awkwardness and later protectiveness was always endearing, no?

"Of course." I answered, gesturing to the chair next to mine of the round table. "It isn't as if I own this table." I added, meaning it as a joke. My natural 'scowl' made it seem more severe though, and I bit my tongue on an apology, seeing her blush deeply. Still though, she sat down.

"Thank you…" she muttered. How awkward. Cute I suppose, but intensely awkward.

We sat in silence for several minutes as I went back to working on the datapad Tali gave me and Liara _awkwardly_ chewed her food. The funny part about the tenseness was how it was the kind that made you want to laugh for no reason.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch…_

And Liara's ration bar was crunchy. Very loudly crunchy.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch…_

I had to press the back of my hand to my mouth in order to cover up my smirk with one of those 'I'm just thinking' looks.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch… crunch… crunch…_

Ah, she swallowed. That's good because I had been close to-

_Crunch! _

She took another bite. Dammit. Damn awkward crunchy silence….

_Crunch, crunch, crunch…_

How long could I last like this? I was already biting the outside of my thumb subtly to keep from bursting out in hysterical laughter.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch… crunch… crunch…_

_Crunch!_

_Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch…_

"Okay, you have to stop now!" I suddenly burst out, grabbing her hand holding the ration bar away from her mouth.

"W-what?" she blushed heavily again, completely confused and her voice muffled from it being full. I felt a bark of laughter jump up my throat but I clenched my jaw and pursed my lips. It was taking everything I had to hold myself back.

_Oh crap Raegas, come up with an excuse! _

"It's just…"

_Hurry up!_

"The bar really isn't good… for you…" I said, just a little too lamely. Dammit, how stupid was that?!

"I-it isn't?" Liara's blue eyes widened in shock, making me hold back another bout of laughter. How cute yet awkward could one person be?

"W-well they are rations but… I just don't think the Alliance puts nutritional value in pieces of cardboard." I managed distastefully, letting go of her wrist. She blushed a deeper violet-blue and let only the smallest of giggles escape her. Did she know what cardboard was? I mean, it wasn't exactly used often so…

"That was a joke." She smiled, looking back at me, straight on this time.

"I… suppose so…" I replied, a tone of realization coloring my voice. I hadn't meant it as a joke but now that I thought about it I saw that it could be seen as such.

"I am glad I understood a human saying. I admit I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to these things." She smiled shyly, only causing me to scratch the back of my head and look away. I guess she didn't realize who I was.

"I am not actually a human." I said, looking back at her to see the look of blankness. "I am Raegas, a Vertoakan."

"Oh Goddess!" she gasped, her eyes going wide again. "I-I am so sorry, I didn't-"

I held up a hand to stop her, already tired of it. I had gotten enough apologies today to last a lifetime.

"It is hard to tell, I know." I gave her an accommodating smile and offered my hand. "So why don't we officially introduce ourselves? I am Raega'Darenth Lixeria Braceros. Otherwise known as Raegas."

Hesitantly, she smiled, taking my hand. "And I am Dr. Liara T'soni; you may call me Liara. It is a pleasure to meet you in person." I raised a brow slightly, seeing the small spark of curiosity in her eyes. It was a look that made me wonder if she wanted dissect me.

"Quite so." I smiled, forcing it. We released each other then and I shifted in my chair to better regard her. "I've heard of you, actually. The famous archeologist." I stated, causing her to blush. She was easy to press wasn't she?

"I am not quite famous…" she trailed off when her stomach growled, loudly. It was funny seeing her get flustered over it and blush a deep shade of purple.

"I mean to say you have a reputation among the crew." I said, giving her my bowl of oatmeal stuff. It tasted the best out of what they had and it was still warm. She was about to decline but I just pushed it closer to her and continued.  
>"If you would indulge me, I'd like to know about your profession." I gave a practiced warm smile, seeing her take a slow bite of the oatmeal. She looked up at me with wide eyes again and sat straight.<p>

"You would… like to know about me…?" she asked slowly, disbelieving.

"Yes…" I answered just as slowly, saying it was obvious. Instantly, her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. Her shoulders relaxed and she ceased looking as if she were going to her execution, no doubt filled with excitement just thinking about her… love of digging. Hm.

This was, evidently, going to take a while.

**A/N: Again, sorry if you got confused, but I wanted to do an early chapter of how Raegas met some people of the crew since I didn't elaborate in the main timeline. I hope it was at least a little amusing for you, and thank you for reading! ;) **


	10. A Day In The Life Of Commander Shepard

**Hopelessly Blue: But I love cookie dough ice cream… Ah well, I wouldn't take it from you if you like it so much. ;) Anyway, I'm happy you liked the post and I gave you something to do on vacation. I tried to make it as funny a meeting could be, and it seems I succeeded. The awkward crunching was my favorite part, of course; I was almost cracking up as I wrote it! I hope I can get some of the other interactions down pat like that too- not to rhyme, or anything. And no, I don't know any of my poet's works or pieces, which is kind of sad. Still, I might look for her when I get the chance. Love you lots and can't wait to get another review!**

**A/N: Ever wonder what kind of days Shepard had aboard the Normandy toward the beginning?**

BEEP! BEEP, BEEP, BEEP- BEEP BOP BOO BEEP-

Shepard's hand slapped haphazardly at her singing alarm, sending it to crash to the floor and shut off. She yawned heavily and rose in the bed before stretching her arms to wake up her muscles for the day. Scratching her head groggily, she pulled her covers from her tangled legs and turned. A small twitch jumped her cheek when her feet met with the cold metal floor and she stood for another lengthy stretch on her tiptoes, repeating a yawn.

Grumbling to herself the entire way, Shepard picked up her alarm and set it back on the stand by her bed. She didn't want to trip over it and land on her face like the day before. Just explaining what happened to Chakwas as she fixed the nosebleed had been embarrassing.

She briefly checked her messages on the terminal and saw that Joker had sent in a request for shore leave _again_ just to set up an appointment with the Consort. Shepard didn't want to think about that again. The asari woman may have been sensual and striking in every sense of the word but Shepard had found herself feeling _almost_ violated- she hadn't asked for it, after all. Even if she hadn't said no, per se…

Deleting the request and moving to her clothing locker, Shepard grabbed a fresh uniform and began dressing. Pants, boots, the shirt and then the belt, as per usual. Another yawn and two minutes later, Shepard was walking out of her quarters to meet the low lighting and comfortable atmosphere of the mess hall. Coffee may be ancient and not too many people used it due to the caffeine content and such but the Commander found it suited her just fine. She needed the wake-up call and with the day she had planned out the night before she was going to need it.

Shepard began to pour herself the aforementioned drink and breathed in the wonderful aroma with a trivial smile. Sometimes it was the small things in life that got you going. Tapping on her waist got the Commander's attention and she glanced over to see one of those gigantic dog-wolf things regarding her curiously. If the dark grey fur, charcoal patterns along the body and eerie, dense yellow eyes were to go on anything, it looked like… ah… Saiga. Right.

Why the creature was up so early, away from Ayldrik, Raegas' brother, and sniffing her Shepard had no idea. Still, she always seemed to have someone staring or analyzing. It wasn't anything she hadn't gotten used to. She'd had to when she found out she was stuck with Kaiden.

"Oh hey, Commander. Good morning!" well speak of the devil. There he was, jogging up like he just noticed she was there. He did this routine daily.

"Morning, LT." she drawled, thinking it was much too early in the morning for this. Saiga looked between them, obviously seeing something of a pattern. "The coffee's open if you wanted any."

"Oh thanks! I was just coming up from the CC to get some." He smiled, reaching for the coffee. Shepard side-stepped to make sure his obvious attempt of physical contact didn't succeed. The guy could never take a hint. Saiga followed her, already in between them like a buffer zone.

A thought suddenly struck the Commander and she tensed.

"The CC? You didn't run into Raegas did you?" she had to ask. Otherwise she wouldn't know if anything more had happened between them. The woman had already threatened him and followed through the week before.

"Uh…" he hesitated. "No, actually. I guess she's not up yet." Even his smile was edgy.

"Are you sure, Lieutenant?" she repeated, wanting to make sure he wasn't lying.

"Yes ma'am." He responded, sounding a tad off-kilter. He turned to her then, holding his own mug of coffee loosely. "I mean, if I may, she doesn't seem like she should be here." he shifted on his feet, scratching the back of his head. Shepard didn't even try to help the defensive pang she felt at that.

"What do you mean?" she questioned, wanting to know whether she should be irritated or disappointed.

"Well she just doesn't fit in- or her siblings, for that matter. She might be a respectable fighter and all but when we're off missions she doesn't even try to be agreeable. I don't understand why you haven't given her to Alliance Command yet." Every word he was saying brought an angry sting to Shepard's mind. She had to clench her jaw to keep from snapping at him.

A sudden vicious growling made itself known, startling the both of them. Their gazes went to the huge creature between them just in time to see it draw up on its hind legs, creating a solid wall of fur and claws. At that height, Saiga had to be at least seven and a half feet tall. Shepard, pushed behind the enormous creature, had to move to the side to even see Kaiden. His wide, fearful eyes and gaping mouth would have been comical had his life not been in danger.

Another aggressive snarl and he was sent running.

No sooner had he left that Saiga calmed and went back to her all-fours.

The creature pushed her face into Shepard's stomach and rubbed affectionately, obviously having had endangered Kaiden just to get rid of him. Whether because he was irritating or because he insulted Saiga's companions didn't matter, for Shepard smiled anyway. She patted the Ulaeviel's head and rubbed her behind the ears, glad for her convenience. It wouldn't have blown over well if she, as a commanding officer, threatened a subordinate.

"Nice job. Now I only have to deal with him when you're not around." Shepard joked, smirking. The creature answered her with a soft coo, quickly circling around her before returning to her side.

Now, to start the day.

Deciding the first thing to do on her schedule ought to be checking on her crewmembers, Shepard started for the med-bay after pouring another cup of coffee. It was always interesting to talk with them and see them interact with each other, although they sometimes turned into debates or even escalated into fights. When Wrex was involved they were continuously dubbed as brawls. The inevitable dog-piles or thrown weapons and crates made it so.

Walking into the med-bay, Shepard caught sight of Chakwas working on a machine across from the beds. If she recalled correctly it was the imaging scanner; it scanned the whole body and then projected it to the doctor who could then switch between the bone structure, musculature, nervous system, biotic systems and general organs. Quite convenient too, if you could get past the tingling sensation the scanner gave in your skin. Everywhere. Personally, the Commander preferred the general scanners that moved over the beds to examine the patient.

"Good morning, Doctor Chakwas." Shepard smiled, approaching said woman. She sighed and stepped back from the contraption looking thoroughly aggravated.

"Hello, Commander." She breathed, before turning to Shepard. She handed the Doctor the extra cup of coffee, knowing Chakwas needed it as much as she did. "Thank you." she took a grateful gulp of the hot liquid, not even flinching at the heat or twitching in any way that said it fazed her. Sheesh, talk about a tough mouth. What had she called it before? Leather tongue? Yes, that was it. Only metaphorical, of course.

"Did it breakdown again?" Shepard asked, slight humor in her tone. The Doctor gave her a look to which her smirk only grew.

"I don't understand why the damned thing has to jam!" she announced, glaring at said machine. "Every month it's the same thing- use it too early in the morning and it buzzes up but use it in the afternoon and it decides to stop working altogether!" her arm jumped into the air in frustration.

"I'm sorry doc." Shepard offered, genuinely sympathetic toward the irritated woman.

"It isn't your fault, Commander." She sighed. "It's Ashley's fault for ruining it with her habit of spilling coffee everywhere. I swear, if that girl spills something in my med-bay again I'm going to file a complaint!" she stated, causing Shepard to chuckle.

"I'll make sure to tell her that doctor." She smiled. Saiga padded to the doctor and fussed as well, catching their attention. Shepard hadn't realized the quadruped was still with her. Chakwas, the ever immovable physician, merely patted her on the head.

"And if you would be so kind, send Raegas to me when you can." Chakwas requested, looking back up to the Commander. Worry shot up her spine at the implications of those words, causing her to tense unconsciously.

"Why, is something wrong?" she inquired, leaning forward. Chakwas glanced at her with furrowed brows, frowning.

"No. Should there be?" she answered, relaxing Shepard.

"No, I just thought…" she trailed off and looked to the side, shrugging.

"Oh, no, there isn't anything wrong with her, Commander." She smiled, letting out a breath. "I have asked Raegas to instruct me on the systems and workings of the Vertoakan body. She agreed, if reluctantly." She shrugged.

"Raegas? Teaching? You?" Shepard's grin at the strange situation was obvious and Chakwas wasted no time in frowning disapprovingly at her.

"Despite what you may think, I do not know everything in the universe, Commander." Her irritation made Shepard throw her hands up in defeat, still slightly smirking.

"Hey, I just thought it was… different, is all. You're the best doctor I've met and the resident lone wolf ends up instructing _you_."

"Well she didn't seem excited over it but I doubt Raegas minds." Chakwas exhaled, stepping away from the machine and giving Saiga a good scratching under the chin.

"Why do you think so?" Shepard was curious for sure. She'd seen Raegas do things no one expected her to but for Chakwas to say something the Vertoakan woman must've done something in front of her.

"Well she is complicated, I'll give her that, but she is no hateful killer." The doctor said, referring to the general opinion of the crew. "She helps me organize the files and she fixes the equipment with nothing but a word of welcome. Our appointments consist of her bringing me tea or coffee, sometimes my favorite wine, and answering any questions I have while she repairs the imager or fills in forms when I'm backlogged. She may not smile, Shepard, but she is patient and respectful of me, though I have no idea why." Shepard listened with interest to the woman's explanation, finding another stone uncovered hinting at the person Raegas was under her antisocial façade.

"Really?" she probed.

"Indeed. I asked her why she seemed to like me and she said, 'I have plenty of reasons plus I just do'." The cryptic answer obviously wasn't enough for Chakwas since her expression was decidedly sour. Shepard laughed at it and shook her head, finding too much amusement from it.

"She must be a good judge of character then." The Commander supposed.

"Yes, well, I have work to get to, Commander. If you don't mind I want to get some paperwork done before Raegas arrives." At that, the doctor departed to her desk, effectively abandoning the wrecked imager and the whining Saiga. Shepard patted the beast on her head before heading on over to Liara's room.

The door slid open with a subtle hiss, revealing the all-too-darkened residence of the resident asari scientist. Shepard peered in, slightly squinting, to see Liara just standing from her desk. Another gigantic Ulaeviel was with her. Its main body of fur was off-white, the patterns a sky blue and its eyes a glacial cerulean, much like Jasin's hair and Liara's eyes. A funny coincidence if anything, surely. The colors proved it to be Jasin's companion, Waru.

"Oh, Commander!" Liara beamed in welcome as the two Ulaeviel quietly greeted each other with low coos. "It is good to see you. Good morning."

"Morning to you too, Liara." Shepard smiled back, leaning against the wall. "Anything new? I thought I'd check up on you."

"Not with the Protheans, unfortunately." She glanced down sadly, the crestfallen look adorable to Shepard. "-But I did meet with Jasin yesterday and she explained to me the workings of Vertoakan architecture! It was fascinating." She offered, the broad, child-like smile infectious.

"I'm sure it was. Jasin seems to be more interested in bombs and destroying things than building them though." Shepard smirked, seeing the irony. Liara's smile changed to one of understanding, perhaps affection. The look seemed to have come out of nowhere in the last week.

"Yes. But she explained destroying things meant nothing if one lacked knowledge of what was destroyed. I believe it is something she lives by." The reply made sense. Jasin may have blown up a ship carrying the husks and the recently killed crew but she did so only after knowing the name of the ship and its purpose. Still, Shepard still questioned why Jasin took the time to plant charges instead of helping fight off the husks.

Waru's loud cooing brought the Commander back to reality and she smiled at seeing the giant beast wearing something of a smile and rubbing her head against Liara's stomach and side lovingly. Not only were these creatures smarter and larger than wolves but they were much more expressive with emotions as well. Granted they had voracious appetites and strange quirks that included eating at tables and using toilets (don't ask). The funny part about Waru loving Liara so much was how it brought a heavy blush to the asari's cheeks every time.

"Waru must like you a lot, Liara." Shepard praised, remembering Ayldrik's statement to the difficulties of winning the allegiance of a fully grown Ulaeviel, or even respect for that matter.

"R-really? I do not know why…" she trailed off when Waru pressed her hard enough to send her dropping to the bed in a sitting position. Said Ulaeviel wasted no time in using the new position to his advantage.  
>"Oh Goddess!" Liara gasped, finding herself being cuddled by a gigantic teddy-carnivore. She was pushed on her back by the creature's weight and Shepard had to hold in a laugh seeing her being crushed by an overly loving animal. Waru simply lay there, sniffing at Liara's scrunched face.<p>

"Like I said." Shepard grinned, getting an agreeing woof from Saiga.

After a few moments Jasin appeared by Shepard. She looked in at the two and scowled, wasting no time in getting Waru's attention. The Commander knew they would end up in one of their talks again and smiled to herself as she, followed by Saiga, departed the med-bay.

…

"Get off of Liara, you brute!" Jasin ordered, not waiting for an answer before shoving the heavy animal off of the poor asari. The Ulaeviel turned on her and released an upset whine. The thing never knew when affection was too much.  
>"It's alright, just try not to suffocate her next time." She added, giving him a pat on the head. Liara sat up slowly, the blush on her cheeks causing a warm buzz to fill her chest and spread to her own face.<p>

"Thank you, Jasin. I had not been prepared for that." Liara said, pressing a palm to her temple. Waru whined again in apology and lowered his head to Liara's lap. The asari patted him on the head and Jasin released a sigh, plopping down next to her.

"He's just a lovable pile of fur that can't help himself. Isn't that right old friend?" Jasin grinned, giving the Ulaeviel a vigorous scratching behind the ears with both of her hands. He cooed happily and relaxed knowing there were no hard feelings.  
>"Anyway, I was going to ask you…" Jasin trailed off when her position landed her face a little close to Liara's. Like, really close. Because she had leaned toward her side and then turned her head it made sense but it didn't mean she wasn't stunned.<p>

"Jas…in…?" Liara murmured, having had found herself in the same close position. It was the strangest thing, for Jasin, to feel such a strong need to lean forward and just kiss the striking, exotic alien girl. Her head hummed and her eyes were suddenly heavy as she fell into the icy blue depths of Liara's.

Suddenly, she cleared her throat and turned away. She had to snap herself out of it or she'd do something stupid that she'd regret.

"I was going to ask you, uh… something about that place you talked of before… Therum." She managed to recall, distracting her hands with the tight fabric of her shirt.

"What… did you want to know?" Liara asked quietly, finding her voice again. Jasin stood to put distance between them and leaned against Liara's desk, forcing the casual look. It wouldn't due to show her nervousness.

"Well there was something you said that caught my attention. About the ruins being underground?"

…

"Alright… looks like we're going to deck three." Shepard muttered, pressing the button for said deck. Saiga sat down next to the Commander in the elevator, sitting in such a way that made her seem age-old. Ulaeviel lifespans were well over three-hundred years, as Kareck had clarified, but Shepard hadn't found out just how old these creatures were. She didn't even know how old Raegas was. It was a sad thing to know she would be outlived so easily by her friends.

Once the elevator reached its destination Shepard stepped off the platform. She looked around, seeing Garrus being harried by an irritated Ulaeviel (black fur and violet eyes with grey markings meaning Raja, Kareck's partner), Ashley instructing Ayldrik how to clean weapons properly _again_, and Wrex staring down Raegas.

…Wait…

Raegas and Wrex? Were they mad at each other?

Shepard quietly walked over to them and stopped a few feet away, seeing them standing stock still. Their eyes were devoted to each other, refusing to blink or glance away for even an instant. Their expressions of tight grimaces showed their concentration, and so did the 'tears' running down their faces. Evidently they hadn't blinked in a long time and their tear ducts were paying the price.

"Is this-"

"Shh!" Raegas cut her off quickly, still not moving. Was this a staring contest? "I am winning, Wrex." She said through clenched teeth.

"No you aren't." he growled back. "I won't let sixteen minutes of my precious time be wasted by losing to someone like you."

"What are you implying, leather face?" the fact that they were talking and not moving in any way was a tad scary. Especially since Raegas just insulted a hulking giant capable of crushing one's bones like toothpicks.

"You know exactly what, soft-skin." He replied. Wow. He wasn't offended?

"You may want to clarify after I _win_ hunchback." Raegas glared. How had they even gotten into this situation?

"I might… after I leave your small body crippled in defeat." He growled back.

"Maybe if this wasn't the little leagues I would let you win. Just for your pride, gigantor." She smirked darkly.

"Maybe if this wasn't the little leagues I would let you lose softly. Just for your ego, midget." He returned.

"Stealing insults now? I thought your brain was bigger than a nut." She glowered a little deeper, her inflamed, desiccated eyes and wet cheeks evidence of the extensive 'battle' they'd had.

"It's big enough to crush yours." He shot back.

"… That's what he said." Raegas was holding in a heavy grin and Shepard was grateful. She'd seen how frightening those could be coming from her.

"What?" Wrex then blinked in misunderstanding, immediately flinching at the sting of his dry eyes. Raegas let out a triumphant 'ha!' and grinned. Yeah, it was still scary.

"I won, Wrex." She chimed, confounding Shepard and pissing the Krogan off. He growled and grabbed the woman by her shirt's collar causing Shepard to tense. This wouldn't be the first time he began a fight on account of his rapid temper. Raegas only smiled.

"I demand a rematch!" he snarled.

"Only if you're willing for another seventeen minutes of your time big guy." Surprisingly enough, her tone was almost conversant. Wrex growled again, drawing her closer to his face as if in intimidation. How the Vertoakan wasn't a tarn of apologies already like most humans would be, Shepard didn't know.

"I didn't say we could use mind games. It's exempt." He said.

"I wasn't using a mind game and you never said we couldn't anyway. Besides, I'm willing to make it a tie; I admit my personal joke wasn't arranged for." She promised, amazing Shepard again. Why wasn't she ever so nice to her?

"Fine." he reluctantly dropped her, still clearly bothered. "But I'm not done with you."

"Thank you Wrex." Raegas said, before closing her eyes tightly. She hissed and clapped her hand over her locked eyes, showing the discomfort of eyes that had dried over ten minutes. It was the strangest thing to do with a Krogan but it was amusing at least, if not disconcerting. After a full minute of cleaning her face and wiping her now wet, red eyes, she turned to Shepard.  
>"Was there something you needed?" she asked, her voice lighter than expected. Huh. She was in a good mood.<p>

"Ah- well Dr. Chakwas asked me to send you to her." Shepard replied, finding it was all she could think of to say. Whatever it was about Raegas that got Shepard's mind distracted was a mystery but it certainly worked every time. Especially when she was in a good mood and her eyes were luminous like that in the dim lights.

"The imager broke again didn't it?" she breathed. "Well I'll have to see you some other time, Wrex. See you later Commander." She said, an agreement coming from Ciria still in her hood, before walking off to the elevators.

"So what was that about?" Shepard asked, looking curiously to Wrex. He grunted, his eyes also sorer than usual.

"I was telling her about a mission I was on some years ago and she dared to question the accuracy of my memories. So I showed her." the cryptic answer was enough to feed the imagination and tell Shepard the Krogan wasn't in the mood for talking so she simply nodded.

"I'll leave you to it." She said. He only grunted and she walked over to the Engineering door. Garrus was still having a tug-of-war with Raja and Ash was in the middle of a conversation.

Unfortunately, she soon saw Tali in an excited conversation with Engineer Adams over the processing engines of a reactor core in something, something, something or another. The Commander sighed and made her way back to the elevator to head to deck two.

She needed some breakfast.

…

Hours later, Shepard was sitting in the med-bay, talking with Raegas and Chakwas. It had been originally shocking to find out the Vertoakan normally spent hours of some days if not the whole day in the med-bay but soon understood why. Chakwas and Raegas shared a certain respect of knowledge and intellect that made it easy for them get along and share stories or information. Shepard had been learning a lot of things about the both of them that helped her to understand them better as well.

At the moment they were talking of Vertoakan illnesses. Shepard was relaxing on one of the beds with one leg hanging over the side and swinging back and forth idly, while Chakwas was in her chair facing between Raegas and Shepard. Said Vertoakan was currently working on fixing the imager again, since Garrus managed to break it. He had come in with a bleeding arm, courtesy of Raja, who, by the way, won the tug-of-war battle.

"And if you inhale the gas you'll most likely get numbness, loss of hearing, visual hallucinations, painful sores and difficulty swallowing. Since it was originally intended to act as a weapon against the rogue factions the sickness won't let up until cured." While Raegas explained the effects of Red Gas, Shepard had to wince, only imagining the scene.

"Were the rogues or criminals of your people that bad?" Shepard asked. Raegas shrugged, not even turning to see her or Chakwas. The Commander had realized about a minute into her first speaking with them in the med-bay that Raegas spoke much more freely when distracted. That way she didn't focus all of her attention on guarding herself and kept in a better mood.

"The Red Gas was never meant to be so bad in the first place. We banned it fifty years before… well before I came here. But no, our criminals were never that bad. They only really handled illegal merchandise like weapons and armor or traveled to sectioned off habitation zones for profit of land. Other than that the only problems they gave my mother and father were related to information brokering." She replied.

"What did you do to fight them off?" Shepard asked.

"Well if they attacked anyone our law-keepers dealt with it. If they disrupted major functions or tried to assassinate someone the law-keepers would call in Hunters to deal with them personally. Since my mother dealt with eight of the nine corrupt high-influence people we haven't needed to worry over much more than Spawn attacks."

"How did your parents manage such a large society and keep it so peaceful?" Chakwas asked, genuinely curious.

"Well it depends on your view. If you go one way…"

…

Some odd hours later, Shepard found herself saying goodnight to a yawning Saiga. She had followed her around all day and kept her company between meetings happily and she had enjoyed it. It gave her an idea as to what it felt like to have such an amazing creature for a friend and companion.

Shepard walked into her quarters once Saiga trotted off. She stretched out her arms and divested herself of her uniform, glad to be rid of it for the night. She changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top before once again checking her messages. Finding nothing important, she allowed herself to slip into bed, stretching her body out with a sigh. It wasn't the most comfortable of mattresses but it did the job well enough.

After the day she'd had, she felt like rest was the best thing she could have. Even if she had another nightmare of losing her squad or dying in a Thresher attack or even getting chased by man-eating waffles she wanted sleep.

And eventually, it came to her.

**A/N: Super long, I know. I've been on working on it all day. I hope you liked it!**


	11. Shepard's Dream

**Hopelessly Blue: Yeah, I agree with you; sometimes, the regular day can be a lot more fun and interesting to read than the action and angst. I'm glad you liked. ^.^ I just didn't think I was good at it. Or **_**am**_** good at it. Oh well.  
>*chuckles to self* I wasn't expecting that either, B. I feel like being an Ulaeviel would be quite the experience though, don't you think? Being so large and loveable you could get away with a lot of things. It might be harder to eat cookie dough ice cream without opposable thumbs though. XD I wrote them so much in that chapter because their lack of love has been bothering me. I mean, they're always there but I seem to habitually fail at mentioning them. And other crew members.<br>In so doing, I've decided to take more time to develop people and various relationships instead of just lunging into the action and angst. If I don't the feelings and emotions meant to be conveyed would suffer. Right? Well… uh… I just wanted to tell you that. *smiles* I appreciate the sharing of cookie dough ice cream immensely, Marceline. But don't worry: if you ever turned into an Ulaeviel I would feed it to you instead of taking it for myself. Only because I love you so much.**

**A/N: Here's a Liara centered (mostly) fic, everyone. Hope you enjoy!**

I scratched the back of my head absently as I walked along the corridor of the fourth deck, looking toward the ground. I had just left the CC after fixing Shepard's armor. Again. She was so reckless and 'followed her instinct' so much that I had to repair one thing or another after almost every mission. How she managed without me before I would never know. Wrex wasn't much better either. He waited until there were too many dents and he was more harried than helped by his armor though. This, in my mind, was worse.

I walked into the crew showers shaking my head at the absurdity. If something was wrong then fix it. Waiting for it to break down on you to repair it was potentially just as damaging. And irritating because the job it took to fix it was so lengthy and frustrating I considered murdering the Krogan in his sleep several times already.

"Well if it isn't the lone alpha!" I glanced up long enough to see Crewman Valerie Rodriguez with her usual smug grin. I had hoped no one would be in the showers so late at night. It seems I had forgotten the shift changes again.

"Hey Val!" there goes her sidekick, Jen Westar. "You forgot the wolf part." She grinned, getting an 'Aah!' from Rodriguez as she clapped from the humor. Just finished with undressing myself, I regarded them plainly.

"Yes, I'm sure my lack of humanity is apparent by now." I quipped. They turned their grinning faces to me and stopped. Their grins dropped though I had little idea why, and I turned to activate my own shower head.  
>"Is there something on my body more interesting than your jokes, Rodriguez?" I frowned. Westar was blushing almost as much as she was. Of course, it didn't take long for their gazes to get low enough to see the markings over my stomach.<p>

"Yo man, what is that?" Rodriguez demanded, hurrying over for a closer look (A/N: it's my profile pic). I rolled my eyes at the question but let her feel it. She even scratched it to make sure it wasn't fake. Westar came over as well and leaned over like Rodriguez with wide eyes.

"Is it a tattoo?" Westar asked. I swear, there was some kind of subtext here.

"No." I just wanted to take a shower. But then, they wouldn't leave me alone would they? Not until they got their answer.

"Then what is it?" Rodriguez questioned, her face now a mask of something akin to concentration. I sighed. "Is it some Vertoak thing?" At least she remembered what we were called for once. Might as well.

"Yes. Think of it as a birthmark." I answered, tucking my wet hair behind my ears.

"So all of your people have this?" Westar's gaze turned up in curiosity. A moment later though, it transformed into shock. "Whoa! Val, look here!" she burst, standing straight again to examine my ears. I sighed again when the woman leaned up again to see what Westar was freaking out over.

"Shit man! I didn't know you were an elf!" she almost shouted. Her hands went up and pulled at my ears. Why I was so patient with these two idiots I would never know. Maybe it was because they treated me the same as everyone else. I mean to say that they teased everyone on the ship, Joker especially and Shepard included.

"No." I said to Westar, referring to her earlier question. "No two marks are the same, nor are they always on the stomach; they can be anywhere on the body. And no, Rodriguez, I am _not_ an elf." I grumped.

"Says you. You're hot and you have pointy ears. In my book that means you're an elf." She replied smirking, still playing with my ears.

"Fine!" I huffed. "Now leave me be!" I ordered, pushing them back to their own shower heads. Rodriguez was laughing like a goofball and Westar smiled to herself quietly but they didn't resist all the same.

…

"Oh look what we got here! It's the mysterious blue wonder." Rodriguez grinned, referring to Liara. I glanced over, just finished with clamping my boot straps, seeing the poor asari act like she was a lamb to slaughter.

"I didn't know you took showers, loving dirt an all." Westar actually looked serious, that dork. I frowned at them and myself, feeling the protective urge. It must've been because Liara was so innocent and… well, not fragile, but you know what I mean.

"Get out of the shower before you prune up Rodriguez. We all know you're full up already." I shot back, gripping Liara's shoulder. I ignored the fact that she jumped and turned her toward the door.

"You would know, huh?" she challenged, leaning at me. I smirked, leaning in as well.

"Westar would." At their instant looks of shock I couldn't hold in the small laugh that erupted up my throat. It sounded a little evil as it echoed in the room and I led Liar out. I knew she'd be teased by the two trouble-makers endlessly and she wouldn't be comfortable.

So instead I came up with an idea.

…

It was kind of an uncomfortable ride up in the elevator for Liara. I didn't really know for sure but I was drying my hair idly with a towel and she had no idea where I was taking her since she originally intended to take a shower. I knew she took them at night because there was less chance of people being there and she was shy. We often ran into each other when on was on their way out or in.

"Where are we going…?" she asked quietly, as the doors opened. I wrapped an arm over her shoulders to steer her in the right direction, hoping no one would notice. After all, what I was doing was… well I didn't actually know if it was against the rules. For me, anyway.

Ah well, Shepard wouldn't mind.

"You want a shower, right? So don't ask." I said under my breath. As Shepard's quarters came closer and closer, Liara began freaking out and tensing up.

"R-Raegas, I do not believe Shepard's q-quarters are-" she floundered, resisting me. I pushed harder and got her into the room, heading straight for the shower.

"Don't worry about it, all you have to do is take a quick shower and get out. Nothing to it." I smiled, all too amused with the situation.

"N-nothing to-? Raegas, there is everything to it!" she squeaked, getting more stubborn. The poor girl would rather be bullied than invade someone else's space. The thought alone got me to mile in sympathy at what I was doing to her.

"Liara that doesn't make sense." I said apologetically, forcing her into the private bathroom of our one and only Commander Shepard. I briefly wondered over the toilet being magical, given Crewman Johnson mentioned it but shrugged it off in the face of the adorably flustered Liara.

"I do not c-care if it makes sense! I cannot just walk in h-here and-"

"You can and you did, Liara." I smiled. "Now hurry up, take your shower and let me guard the door." I closed the bathroom door in her face, effectively cutting off anything she was going to say. I then stood there for five minutes waiting for the sound of the shower head, feeling excited over the probability of having had broken a few regulations.

Once the shower was on, I grinned and strut outside to close Shepard's quarter's door.

…

There was a flaw with my plan. If Shepard did in fact come I would have to do something drastic just to distract her from Liara being in her quarters, let alone leaving them. She was due to get back from her mission soon but hopefully Liara was a fast cleaner. Or whatever.

The hissing sound of the elevator descending to this floor caught my attention and I looked up to see…

Oh… shit…

I watched with a sinking stomach as Shepard walked over, helmet hanging from her hand. She seemed to be pretty tired from her hanging head and not-so-straight walking pattern. Maybe I could use it to me advantage. If everything went according to my _new_ plan, Shepard would never know Liara was there. I was such a good person for doing this just to make sure the resident shy one didn't have to deal with the teasers of the Normandy.

"Hey, Shepard!" I smiled. Dammit. Too cheerful. Tone it down or she'll notice something's off.

Shepard's head came up and she regarded me with blank, tired eyes. Wow, she looked even worse up close. She probably had another rough one.

"Raegas?" she muttered, blinking slowly.

"You look tired. Hard mission?" I asked, still sounding too upbeat. She shrugged, giving off a heavy sigh. Her head went down again.

"Yeah…" she replied.

"Come on then." Better. "I guess I can help you out of the armor."

With that I guided her into her room, filling the sound of the shower in the background with one of speaking.

"Tell me about the mission." I said. She grunted, barely even lucid enough to notice I had her back to the door and facing me. The shower was in the wall at the end of her bed so it made sense right? I don't know why they skipped those details in the game.

"A bunch of scientists were turned into husks. We had to kill them." She murmured sadly, letting me take of her shoulder guards and gauntlets/gloves. "Then some Geth came. Makes sense. Assholes." I hummed an agreement and removed her torso armor to reveal the lack of a shirt. I still kicked myself over having had failed to compensate for clothes. At least she had a bra on.

"Was anyone hurt?" I asked.

"No…" her voice tapered off quietly and I glanced up to see her brows her drawn together tightly. "Oh… I almost got blown up. But your special armor protected me." her toothy grin was, admittedly, the sexiest most adorable thing I'd ever seen.

Well, it would've been if Liara didn't open the door of the shower.

Shepard blinked and Liara poked her head out. Instantly, her eyes grew to the size of plates and her hands clapped over her mouth. An enormous blush made its way to her cheeks, turning her whole face violet-blue. Shepard began to turn slowly, confused.

"Did you hear something?" she asked. I looked between them several times, feeling time slow down.

Before Shepard could turn all the way and see Liara I threw my arms around the Commander and pulled her in for a tight hug, effectively turning her back around toward me. She paused and I looked frantically at Liara, telling her silently to get out of there before she was caught.

"Raegas…?" Shepard wondered, not moving.

"Sh-Shepard I… I a-appreciate you!" I said, a little loudly. Great excuse Raegas you _idiot_!

"Oh…" Shepard drawled. Surprisingly, her arms came up and returned my hug. It was actually quite comfortable. "I appreciate you too, Raegas." The faint smile in her voice made me feel a little guilty on the inside, even as I threw one of my arms around at Liara. She was like a deer in the headlights!

"And…" I began, getting the flustered blue mouse to scurry toward the door. "And I-" BAM! Liara cut me off by slipping on her own feet and falling to the ground like a log. Shepard twitched in my arms and pulled herself from my embrace.

"What was that?" she asked, more lucid from the loud noise. Liara couldn't escape fast enough! Dammit!

"Shepard." I tried.

"Wait Raegas, I heard something…" just an instant before her eyes met with Liara on the ground, I grabbed her face and forced her gaze back to me. She looked at me confusedly and I swallowed hard.

With nothing left to do, I pulled her in and pressed my lips to hers. All of the blood in my body was rushing in my head, making it harder to hear over the thundering sound of my heart. It beat against my chest as if struggling to escape, making me panic even more on the inside. But Shepard relaxed into it, thank the gods. This should give Liara time to get out quietly and-

What is Shepard doing?

Her hands snaked around my waist and pulled me into her as her body melted against mine, a groan vibrating in her chest and against mine. I felt a deep blush take my cheeks, the sound of the door to Shepard's room opening barely audible over my inner floundering. I had no idea what to do. The door closed then, leaving me with the Commander. My hands tried to push her away but she had an all-too-tight hold on me. I was trapped in my own trap.

"Mmph!" I groaned, inwardly hating myself. Especially since my knees felt shaky.

Shepard pulled back for air and I gasped, having had forgotten I had a nose. She smiled at me, even as sleepy as she was and teetered over to the bed. I let out a small grunt when she thrust me onto the bed, looking too happy. She descended on me but not before I rolled to the side, dodging her. She grinned and crawled toward me on the bed. I tried to keep a distance between us but my beck ended up pressed against the metal wall.

"No need to get shy now, Raegas. You _know_ I like you." she was scary when she was tired and that was a fact!

"Sh-Shepard, this is a dream! You don't know what you're doing!" I warbled, pressing my back against the wall as much as I could. She only kept approaching, getting closer and closer until her eyes and that smile were less than a foot away.

"Then I should make the most of this while I can." Her hips nestled between my legs and her lips got dangerously close to making me scream.

"She- mm!" she cut me off again and pressed her lips to mine. Taking advantage of my parted mouth she thrust her tongue forward to meet mine. I tensed and froze for only an instant before forcing all of my tattered willpower to push her away. My hands pushed her shoulders back and broke the kiss. I had to ignore the groan that came from Shepard and regain myself before I could think straight.

Getting another brilliant idea, I moved forward until we were both on our knees on the bed. Then, I pushed Shepard onto her back, soon following with my own body. She grinned, beckoning me closer, obviously still in her own world. Even so, I moved down until I hovered over her, needing the closeness if my idea would pull through. Lowering my mouth to her ear, I summoned all the power I had, feeling it spike.

"This is a dream…" I muttered, utilizing my brain powers to alter my sound waves. They rang and vibrated even my own mind, threatening to control me just as well. "You must rest... and forget this occurred…" I finished, feeling her body relax.

With a sigh, I leaned back up and climbed off of the bed. I would never live this down even if I was the only one who knew about it.

I picked up Shepard's armor and put it in her locker properly, moving slowly. I was in a state of both disbelief and shock at what had just transpired.

Shepard liked me? No… No, it must've just been the exhaustion talking. Right. That had to be it. With a huff to force the idea to solidify in my mind I removed her leg armor and added it to the locker, along with the dirty boots. I was not going to clean those.

I threw the blanket over her haphazardly and glanced to her face, hoping I didn't inflict pain on her. I wasn't sure if humans could take such a strong push of energy. Her small smile and slow breathing told me she was just fine though. She did have a strong mind after all, even if she got a little rape-ish when she was tired. Evidently. Seeing she was fine, I ignored my small pang of guilt and hurried out of the room.

Liara was going to pay for this.

…

Shepard awoke to the sound of her alarm, announcing the time of seven o'clock. She groaned, feeling too comfortable and content to shut it off. Her arms tightened around whatever she was holding on their own, causing another groan. But not one from her. Her eyes slid down from the wall and to what she was holding only to see her favorite person in the galaxy. Raegas.

Her heart melted at the mere thought that this amazing woman was hers and hers alone. After hearing her poem the day before she found herself shocked, realizing just how she felt and how much she reciprocated it. Magical was a word to use if one tried to put a description to their relationship and how Shepard felt. But everyone who's ever felt like this knew there were no words good enough to describe it.

Said woman's arm stretched from its spot holding Shepard close to slap the offending alarm. It took more than three slaps and another irritated groan before it shut off. Shepard smiled to herself and watched the beautiful woman lying half on top of her draw herself up. Her hair was everywhere and her bangs curved more than usual, showing some evidence of the wonderful night they'd shared. The Commander's smile widened and she brushed the woman's bangs from her face in order to see it properly. Raegas' sleepy eyes alone were cute enough to convince her that the Vertoakan could beat even kittens in a contest.

"Good morning beautiful." Shepard grinned quietly. Raegas immediately groaned and dropped back to lying on top of Shepard.

"I turned the alarm off for a reason." She grumped, part of her voice muffled. Shepard chuckled and held her closer, feeling those familiar butterflies in her stomach and that fluttering in her chest.

"I had the strangest dream last night." The Commander began, smiling.

"I'm sure." Raega muttered sarcastically, the habit of hers only natural. "What was it?" as was her curiosity.

"I was you…" Raegas paused at her words. "… and I was going to take a shower… but Rodriguez and Westar were there… and after that Liara came…"

Raegas drew up once more, regarding Shepard through squinting eyes.

"I, or you, took her here to take a shower so she wouldn't get bullied… and then while you were guarding the door I came. You led me inside, distracted me, and let Liara escape by _kissing_ me." Shepard grinned at the crazy memory of the dream. But why was Raegas blushing?  
>"I tried to show you my love but you wouldn't have it. After putting me to sleep you put my armor away, tucked me in and ran off into the night." Shepard gave her blushing, wide-eyed, companion a pout.<br>"But it was just a dream, huh?" she asked, more rhetorically than anything. Even still, Raegas blushed and glanced away. She scratched the back of her head and cleared her throat, looking all too uncomfortable.

"Um…" she murmured, causing Shepard's eyes to widen.

"It didn't happen." She stated, as if to convince herself. "Right?"

"Well you see… I was going to… tell you… but uh…" at her words Shepard's mouth gaped open.

"We made out and you _erased_ my _memory_ of it?" she demanded, rising on her elbows. Raegas blushed harder and sat up, looking away.

"It was before I realized I-… I'm sorry…" she looked down, ashamed. "I just thought…" she stopped herself as her eyes watered, shocking Shepard. She sniffed, clenching her hands together tightly as if to keep herself from doing something.  
>"I didn't think this would ever happen. I was too afraid of what would happen if I gave in and if I would be able to live with knowing you knew I manipulated you like that…" her voice tapered off and she silently wiped away her tears.<p>

Shepard felt her chest clench painfully at the sight, understanding. She sat up and cupped Raegas' face in her hands, wiping at the tears with her thumbs. She landed soft kisses over her cheeks and face, trying to take away the guilt. Raegas leaned forward and planted a solid kiss to Shepard's lips. She could taste the salt in her tears and pushed back, knowing she was more fragile than she seemed. She knew Raegas needed contact to understand that her emotions were real. Both of them were still healing.

Once they pulled back, Raegas gave her a half-hearted smiled. One which Shepard returned with a grin.

"I could've lived with it if you let me remember. I would've liked fantasizing over our awkward kiss scene." She smirked. Raegas laughed under breath.

"Well I'm glad you do remember now. I don't think I could have explained what happened very well." She said, a light blush covering her cheeks. Shepard laughed, knowing it was all too true. Her shyness was one of the things the Commander found so interesting about her. For one so strong and smart and dependable she still had inhibitions about the smallest of things.

"Did you really get Liara back for being clumsy though?" Shepard had to know. And judging from Raega's mischievous smile it was true.

"I may have." She conceded. Shepard shook her head, even as her smile widened.

"What did you do?" she tried the voice mothers used when expecting the worst but it failed miserably.

"I told Jasin that Liara needed her because someone was bullying her. Naturally, my little sister went running." She replied.

"What happened?" Shepard inquired.

"Liara may or may not have been in the bathroom when Jasin barged in with Waru." At the statement Shepard smacked her on the arm even though she mirrored the grin.

"You set that up!" she declared. Raegas looked away innocently.

"I don't know what you're referring to." She replied. Shepard laughed and pulled her back down to lie in the bed. Raegas made no sound of protest and instead snuggled close, holding Shepard close. The Commander did so as well, amazed at such an event.

They would need to apologize for that later. Poor Liara…

**A/N: I… don't even know what to say. I never meant for it to happen like this. The original idea was to have Raegas do something nice for Liara. Protect her from bullies, namely. But then, this happened… Ah well, I give up.**


End file.
